We are inconsolable at being deceived by our enemies and being betrayed by our friends, yet we are often content in be being treated like that by our own selves.

Eloquence resides as much in the tone of voice, in the eyes, and in the expression of the face, as in the choice of words.

Everyone complains of his memory, and nobody complains of his judgment.

A man's happiness or unhappiness depends as much on his temperament as on his destiny.

A man convinced of his own merit will accept misfortune as an honor, for thus can he persuade others, as well as himself, that he is a worthy target for the arrows of fate.

Friendship is only a reciprocal conciliation of interests, and an exchange of good offices; it is a species of commerce out of which self-love always expects to gain something.

What makes us so bitter against people who outwit us is that they think themselves cleverer than we are.