That which makes the vanity of others unbearable to us is that which wounds our own.

Silence is the best tactic for he who distrusts himself.

As one grows older, one becomes wiser and more foolish.

What we take for virtue is often nothing but an assemblage of different actions, and of different interests, that fortune or our industry knows how to arrange.

Confidence always pleases those who receive it. It is a tribute we pay to their merit, a deposit we commit to their trust, a pledge that gives them a claim upon us, a kind of dependence to which we voluntarily submit.

The art of putting into play mediocre qualities often begets more reputation than is achieved by true merit.

One can find women who have never had one love affair, but it is rare indeed to find any who have had only one.