To think to be wise alone is a very great folly.

If vanity does not entirely overthrow the virtues, at least it makes them all totter.

What makes us so bitter against people who outwit us is that they think themselves cleverer than we are.

We arrive at the various stages of life quite as novices.

There is a form of eminence which does not depend on fate; it is an air which sets us apart and seems to prtend great things; it is the value which we unconsciously attach to ourselves; it is the quality which wins us deference of others; more than birth, position, or ability, it gives us ascendance.

Moderation is a fear of falling into that envy and contempt which those who grow giddy with their good fortune quite justly draw upon themselves. It is a vain boasting of the greatness of our mind.

We exaggerate the glory of some men in order to detract from that of others.