Mathematicians are like Frenchmen: whatever you say to them they translate into their own language and forthwith it is something entirely different.

We are never further from what we wish than when we believe that we have what we wished for.

Death is a commingling of eternity with time; in the death of a good man, eternity is seen looking through time.

There is a politeness of the heart; this is closely allied to love.

Mysterious in the light of day, nature retains her veil, despite our clamours: That which she does not willingly display cannot be wrenched from her with levers, screws and hammers.

It is better to be deceived by one's friends than to deceive them.

The art of governing is a great metier, requiring the whole man, and it is therefore not well for a ruler to have too strong tendencies for other affairs.