But it is the knowledge of necessary and eternal truths which distinguishes us from mere animals, and gives us reason and the sciences, raising us to knowledge of ourselves and God. It is this in us which we call the rational soul or mind.

The present is great with the future.

Natural religion itself, seems to decay very much. Many will have human souls to be material: others make God himself a corporeal being.

[Alternate translation:] The Divine Spirit found a sublime outlet in that wonder of analysis, that portent of the ideal world, that amphibian between being and not-being, which we call the imaginary root of negative unity.

And there must be simple substances, because there are compounds; for the compound is nothing but a collection or aggregatum of simples.

Take what you need, do what you should, you will get what you want.

In my judgment an organic machine new to nature never arises, since it always contains an infinity of organs so that it can express, in its own way, the whole universe; indeed, it always contains all past and present times.