Some people are so extremely whiffling and inconsiderable that they are as far from any real faults as from substantial virtues.

The generality of men have, like plants, latent properties, which chance brings to light.

The distempers of the soul have their relapses, as many and as dangerous as those of the body; and what we take for a perfect cureis generally either an abatement of the same disease or the changing of that for another.

If you cannot find peace in yourself, it is useless to look for it elsewhere.

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.

The breeding we give young people is ordinarily but an additional self-love, by which we make them have a better opinion of themselves.

Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible.