Long life, and short, are by death made all one; for there is no long, nor short, to things that are no more.

A woman is no sooner ours than we are no longer hers.

The beautiful souls are they that are universal, open, and ready for all things.

The most fruitful and natural exercise for our minds is, in my opinion, conversation.

The human face is a weak guarantee; yet it deserves some consideration. And if I had to whip the wicked, I would do so more severely to those who belied and betrayed the promises that nature had implanted on their brows; I would punish malice more harshly when it was hidden under a kindly appearance.

A volunteer, you assign yourself specific roles and risks according to your judgement of their brilliance and importance, and you see when life itself may be justifiably devoted to them.

Man (in good earnest) is a marvellous vain, fickle, and unstable subject, and on whom it is very hard to form any certain and uniform judgment.