Repentance is no other than a recanting of the will, and opposition to our fancies, which lead us which way they please.

Of the opinions of philosophy I most gladly embrace those that are most solid, that is to say, most human and most our own; my opinions, in conformity with my conduct, are low and humble.

We are all of us richer than we think we are.

Presumption is our natural and original malady. The most vulnerable and frail of all creatures is man, and at the same time the most arrogant.

Habit is second nature.

A man must keep a little back shop where he can be himself without reserve. In solitude alone can he know true freedom.

Old age is a lease nature only signs as a particular favor, and it may be, to one, only in the space of two or three ages; and then with a pass to boot, to carry him through, all the traverses and difficulties she has strewed in the way of his long career.