One cannot answer for his courage when he has never been in danger.

In friendship, as in love, we are often more happy from the things we are ignorant of than from those we are acquainted with.

We often pride ourselves on even the most criminal passions, but envy is a timid and shamefaced passion we never dare to acknowledge.

All the passions are nothing else than different degrees of heat and cold of the blood.

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

If we had no faults, we would not derive so much pleasure from noting those of other people.

We are deceived if we think that mind and judgment are two different matters: judgment is but the extent of the light of the mind. This light penetrates to the bottom of matters; it remarks all that can be remarked, and perceives what appears imperceptible. Therefore we must agree that it is the extent of the light in the mind that produces all the effects which we attribute to judgment.