Some men are so full of themselves that when they fall in love, they amuse themselves rather with their own passion than with theperson they love.

We are nearer loving those who hate us than those who love us more than we wish.

We should desire very few things passionately if we did but perfectly know the nature of the things we desire.

L'absence diminue les mediocres passions, et augmente les grandes,comme le vent eteint les bougies, et allume le feu. Absence diminishes commonplace passions, and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and kindles fire.

Happiness is in the taste, and not in the things.

It is given to few persons to keep this secret well. Those who lay down rules too often break them, and the safest we are able to give is to listen much, to speak little, and to say nothing that that will ever give ground or regret.

The measure of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to acquire it.