Gratitude is a burden upon our imperfect nature.

It seems to me that your doctor [Tronchin] is more of a philosopher than a physician. As for me, I much prefer a doctor who is anoptimist and who gives me remedies that will improve my health. Philosophical consolations are, after all, useless against real ailments. I know only two kinds of sickness--physical and moral: all the others are purely in the imagination.

If you can once engage people's pride, love, pity, ambition on your side, you need not fear what their reason can do against you.

No woman ever yet either reasoned or acted long together consequentially; but some little thing, some love, some resentment, somepresent momentary interest, some supposed slight, or some humour, always breaks in upon, and oversets their most prudent resolutions and schemes.

Since attaining the full use of my reason no one has ever heard me laugh.

There are some occasions in which a man must tell half his secret, in order to conceal the rest: but there is seldom one in which a man should tell it all.

So much are our minds influenced by the accidents of our bodies, that every man is more the man of the day than a regular and consequential character.