In nine lifetimes, you'll never know as much about your cat as your cat knows about you.

The wise man should withdraw his soul within, out of the crowd, and keep it in freedom and power to judge things freely; but as for externals, he should wholly follow the accepted fashions and forms.

We should be similarly wary of accepting common opinions; we should judge them by the ways of reason not by popular vote.

There are truths on this side of the Pyrenees which are falsehoods on the other

If there is such a thing as a good marriage, it is because it resembles friendship rather than love.

We perceive no charms that are not sharpened, puffed out, and inflated by artifice. Those which glide along naturally and simply easily escape a sight so gross as ours.

Arts and sciences are not cast in a mould, but are found and perfected by degrees, by often handling and polishing.