Whatever ignominy or disgrace we have incurred, it is almost always in our power to reestablish our reputation.

Love of glory, fear of shame, greed for fortune, the desire to make life agreeable and comfortable, and the wish to depreciate others - all of these are often the causes of the bravery that is spoken so highly of by men.

How deceitful hope may be, yet she carries us on pleasantly to the end of life.

We are almost always bored by just those whom we must not find boring.

What we call generosity is for the most part only the vanity of giving; and we exercise it because we are more fond of that vanity than of the thing we give.

Our desires always disappoint us; for though we meet with something that gives us satisfaction, yet it never thoroughly answers our expectation. [However disappointment can always be removed if we remember it could have turned out worse.]

We only confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no big ones.