Hope deceives more men than cunning does.

Servitude degrades people to such a point that they come to like it.

Men despise great projects when they do not feel themselves capable of great successes.

It is of no use to possess a lively wit if it is not of the right proportion: the perfection of a clock is not to go fast, but to be accurate.

Men sometimes feel injured by praise because it assigns a limit to their merit; few people are modest enough not to take offense that one appreciates them.

We can love with all our hearts those in whom we recognize great faults. It would be impertinent to believe that perfection alone has the right to please us; sometimes our weaknesses attach us to each other as much as our virtues.

Consciousness of our strength increases it.