Man is a masterpiece of creation if for no other reason than that, all the weight of evidence for determinism notwithstanding, he believes he has free will.

Never undertake anything for which you wouldn't have the courage to ask the blessings of heaven.

If all else fails, the character of a man can be recognized by nothing so surely as by a jest which he takes badly.

The great trick of regarding small departures from the truth as the truth itself - on which is founded the entire integral calculus - is also the basis of our witty speculations, where the whole thing would often collapse if we considered the departures with philosophical rigour.

In the world we live in, one fool makes many fools, but one sage only a few sages.

When an acquaintance goes by I often step back from my window, not so much to spare him the effort of acknowledging me as to spare myself the embarrassment of seeing that he has not done so.

As nations improve, so do their gods.