Usually we praise only to be praised.

There are various sorts of curiosity; one is from interest, which makes us desire to know that which may be useful to us; and the other, from pride which comes from the wish to know what others are ignorant of.

There is an excess both in happiness and misery above our power of sensation.

Fortune and humor govern the world.

Men's happiness and misery depends altogether as much upon their own humor as it does upon fortune.

The grace of novelty and the length of habit, though so very opposite to one another, yet agree in this, that they both alike keepus from discovering the faults of our friends.

We do not despise all those who have vices, but we do despise those that have no virtue.