It is more difficult for a man to be faithful to his mistress when he is favored than when he is ill treated by her.

On why I don't trust democracy without extremely powerful systems of accountability and recall What seems to be generosity is often only disguised ambition - which despises small interests to gain great ones.

Nothing is more ridiculous in old people that were once good-looking, than to forget that they are not so still.

Generally speaking, we would make a good bargain by renouncing all the good that people say of us, upon condition they would say no ill.

Philosophy finds it an easy matter to vanquish past and future evils, but the present are commonly too hard for it.

Nothing is so contagious as example.

Self-love increases or diminishes for us the good qualities of our friends, in proportion to the satisfaction we feel with them; and we judge of their merit by the manner in which they act towards us.