Our opinion of others is not so variable as our opinion of ourselves.

The law cannot equalize mankind in spite of nature.

Great men are sometimes so even in small things.

Our failings sometimes bind us to one another as closely as could virtue itself.

Our virtues are dearer to us the more we have had to suffer for them. It is the same with our children. All profound affection admits a sacrifice.

If it is true that vice can never be done away with, the science of government consists of making it contribute to the public good.

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.