It is a great sign of mediocrity to praise always moderately.

We are dismayed when we find that even disaster cannot cure us of our faults.

In a way, the main fault of all books is that they are too long.

The falsest of all philosophies is that which, under the pretext of delivering men from the embarrassment of their passions, counsels idleness and the abandonment and neglect of themselves.

The mind is the soul's eye, not its source of power. That lies in the heart, in other words, in the passions.

Indolence is the sleep of the mind.

When we feel that we lack whatever is needed to secure someone else's esteem, we are very close to hating him