Our self-love can less bear to have our tastes than our opinions condemned.

A man is perhaps ungrateful, but often less chargeable with ingratitude than his benefactor is.

If we did not flatter ourselves, the flattery of others could never harm us.

Silence is the best tactic for he who distrusts himself.

There is such a thing as a general revolution which changes the taste of men as it changes the fortunes of the world.

The reason we do not let our friends see the very bottom of our hearts is not so much distrust of them as distrust of ourselves.

All the passions make us commit faults; love makes us commit the most ridiculous ones.