A lofty mind always thinks nobly, it easily creates vivid, agreeable, and natural fancies, places them in their best light, clothes them with all appropriate adornments, studies others' tastes, and clears away from its own thoughts all that is useless and disagreeable.

The greatest fault of a penetrating wit is to go beyond the mark.

Perfect courage is to do without witnesses what one would be capable of doing with the world looking on.

Some beautiful things are more dazzling when they are still imperfect than when they have been too perfectly crafted.

Nature makes merit, and fortune puts it to work.

If it were not for the company of fools, a witty man would often be greatly at a loss.

Weakness is more opposed to virtue than is vice.