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

There are people who in spite of their merit disgust us and others who please us in spite of their faults.

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

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 cannot possibly imagine the variety of contradictions in every heart.

The most effectual way to be deceived is to believe oneself more cunning than one's neighbors.

Men's happiness and misery depends altogether as much upon their own humor as it does upon fortune.