He who imagines he can do without the world deceives himself much; but he who fancies the world cannot do without him is still more mistaken.

Penetration has an air of divination; it pleases our vanity more than any other quality of the mind.

The judgments our enemies make about us come nearer to the truth than those we make about ourselves.

It is great folly to wish to be wise all alone.

Perfect courage is to do without witnesses what one would be capable of doing with the world looking on.

Jealousy is in some measure just and reasonable, since it merely aims at keeping something that belongs to us or we think belongsto us, whereas envy is a frenzy that cannot bear anything that belongs to others.

We are almost always bored by just those whom we must not find boring.