It requires more than mere genius to be an author.

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

A heap of epithets is poor praise: the praise lies in the facts, and in the way of telling them.

A prince wants only the pleasure of private life to complete his happiness.

It is a great misfortune neither to have enough wit to talk well nor enough judgment to be silent.

Nothing more clearly shows how little God esteems his gift to men of wealth, money, position and other worldly goods, than the way he distributes these, and the sort of men who are most amply provided with them.

As a man falls out of favour and his wealth declines, we discover for the first time the ridiculous aspects of his character, which were always there but which wealth and favour had concealed.