The common people are but ill judges of a man's merits; they are slaves to fame, and their eyes are dazzled with the pomp of titles and large retinue. No wonder, then, that they bestow their honors on those who least deserve them.

It is not enough that poetry is agreeable, it should also be interesting.

Wine unlocks the breast.

You may drive out nature with a pitchfork, yet she'll be constantly running back.

Virtue consists in fleeing vice.

The sorrowful dislike the gay, and the gay the sorrowful.

Virtuosi have been long remarked to have little conscience in their favorite pursuits. A man will steal a rarity who would cut off his hand rather than take the money it is worth. Yet, in fact, the crime is the same.