Is there anything so grave and serious as an ass?

No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself, and apply myself to them if they will not apply themselves to me.

Whenever a new finding is reported to the world people say - It is probably not true. Later on, when the reliability of a new finding has been fully confirmed, people say - OK, it may be true but it has no real significance. At last, when even the significance of the finding is obvious to everybody, people say - Well, it might have some significance, but the idea is not new.

There is power in ambition, pleasure in luxury...but envy can gain nothing but vexation.

Human understanding is marvellously enlightened by daily conversation with men, for we are, otherwise, compressed and heaped up in ourselves, and have our sight limited to the length of our own noses.

No man divulges his revenue, or at least which way it comes in: but every one publishes his acquisitions.