The art of using moderate abilities to advantage often brings greater results than actual brilliance

The desire to seem clever often keeps us from being so.

He is not to pass for a man of reason who stumbles upon reason by chance but he who knows it and can judge it and has a true taste for it.

The intention of cheating no one lays us open to being cheated ourselves.

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

There are few virtuous women who are not bored with their trade.

It is often hard to determine whether a clear, open, and honorable proceeding is the result of goodness or of cunning.