Lay a beam between these two towers of such width as we need to walk on: there is no philosophical wisdom of such great firmness that it can give us courage to walk on it as we should if it were on the ground.

It takes strong ears indeed to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure criticism without being stung by it, those who venture to criticize us perform a remarkable act of friendship. For it is a healthy love that will risk wounding or offending in order to profer a benefit.

Take care that old age does not wrinkle your spirit even more than your face.

Can anything be imagined so ridiculous that this miserable and wretched creature, who is not so much as master of himself, but subject to the injuries of all things, should call himself master and emperor of the world, of which he has not power to know the least part, much less to command the whole?

I aim here only at revealing myself, who will perhaps be different tomorrow, if I learn something new which changes me.

Once you have decided to keep a certain pile, it is no longer yours; for you can't spend it.

It is not death, it is dying that alarms me.