Those whom the world has delighted to honor have oftener been influenced in their doings by ambition and vanity than by patriotism.

Our repentances are generally not so much a concern and remorse for the harm we have done, as a fear of the harm we may have brought upon ourselves.

None deserve praise for being good who have not the spirit to be bad: goodness, for the most part, is nothing but indolence or weakness of will.

What we cut off from our other faults is very often but so much added to our pride.

In order to succeed in the world people do their upmost to appear successful.

When love becomes labored we welcome an act of infidelity towards ourselves to free us from fidelity.

We only acknowledge small faults in order to make it appear that we are free from great ones.