A wise man is not governed by others, nor does he try to govern them; he prefers that reason alone prevail.

It is because of men that women dislike one another.

Criticism is as often a trade as a science, requiring, as it does, more health than wit, more labour than capacity, more practice than genius.

A man may have intelligence enough to excel in a particular thing and lecture on it, and yet not have sense enough to know he ought to be silent on some other subject of which he has but a slight knowledge; if such an illustrious man ventures beyond the bounds of his capacity, he loses his way and talks like a fool.

If men wish to be held in esteem, they must associate with those only who are estimable.

It would be a kind of ferocity to reject indifferently all sorts of praise. One should be glad to have that which comes from good men who praise in sincerity things that are really praiseworthy.

No man is so perfect, so necessary to his friends as to give them no cause to miss him less.