Praise is flattery, artful, hidden, delicate, which gratifies differently him who praises and him who is praised. The one takes it as the reward of merit, the other bestows it to show his impartiality and knowledge.

It is much better to learn to deal with the ills we have now than to speculate on those that may befall us.

In love we often doubt what we most believe.

The health of the soul is as precarious as that of the body; for when we seem secure from passions, we are no less in danger of their infection than we are of falling ill when we appear to be well.

There is great skill in knowing how to conceal one's skill.

Whatever distrust we may have of the sincerity of those who converse with us, we always believe they will tell us more truth than they do to others.

The most violent passions sometimes leave us at rest, but vanity agitates us constantly.