Our enemies' opinion of us comes closer to the truth than our own.

The more one loves a mistress, the more one is ready to hate her.

A readiness to believe ill of others, before we have duly examined it, is the effect of laziness and pride. We are eager to find aculprit, and loath to give ourselves the trouble of examining the crime.

The passions are the only orators which always persuade.

As great minds have the faculty of saying a great deal in a few words, so lesser minds have a talent of talking much, and saying nothing.

It is with an old love as it is with old age a man lives to all the miseries, but is dead to all the pleasures.

Virtues lose themselves in self-interest, as rivers in the sea.