Commonplace minds usually condemn what is beyond the reach of their understanding.

We often do shallow good in order to accomplish evil with impunity.

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

Indolence, languid as it is, often masters both passions and virtues.

There is a form of eminence which does not depend on fate; it is an air which sets us apart and seems to prtend great things; it is the value which we unconsciously attach to ourselves; it is the quality which wins us deference of others; more than birth, position, or ability, it gives us ascendance.

Listening well and answering well is one of the greatest perfections that can be obtained in conversation.

A man is ridiculous less through the characteristics he has than through those he affects to have.