Every thought is new when an author expresses it in a manner peculiar to himself.

No one is more liable to make mistakes than he who acts only on reflexion.

One can not be just if one is not humane.

In order to do great things, it is necessary to live as if one was never to die.

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

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

You can purchase the mind of Pascal for a crown. Pleasures even cheaper are sold to those who give themselves up to them. It is only luxuries and objects of caprice that are rare and difficult to obtain; unfortunately they are the only things that touch the curiosity and taste of ordinary men.