The writer must wade into life as into the sea, but only up to the navel.
By dint of railing at idiots, one runs the risk of becoming an idiot oneself.
The more humanity advances, the more it is degraded.
Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.
Snicker on hearing his name: 'the gentleman who thinks we are descended from the apes.'
Everyone, either from modesty or egotism, hides away the best and most delicate of his soul’s possessions; to gain the esteem of others, we must only ever show our ugliest sides; this is how we keep ourselves on the common level