It is as easy to deceive one's self without perceiving it, as it is difficult to deceive others without their finding out.

Second-rate minds usually condemn everything beyond their grasp.

The extreme delight we experience in talking about ourselves should warn us that those who listen do not share it.

We are almost always bored by just those whom we must not find boring.

The mind cannot long play the heart's role.

The accent of one's birthplace remains in the mind and in the heart as in one's speech.

Nothing is rarer than true good nature; they who are reputed to have it are generally only pliant or weak.