What men call friendship is no more than a partnership, a mutual care of interests, an exchange of favors - in a word, it is a sort of traffic, in which self-love ever proposes to be the gainer.

The violence done us by others is often less painful than that which we do to ourselves.

One kind of happiness is to know exactly at what point to be miserable.

Gratitude is like the good faith of traders: it maintains commerce, and we often pay, not because it is just to discharge our debts, but that we may more readily find people to trust us.

Women's virtue is frequently nothing but a regard to their own quiet and a tenderness for their reputation.

For most men the love of justice is only the fear of suffering injustice.

We seldom praise anyone in good earnest, except such as admire us.