To distract myself from tiresome thoughts, I have only to resort to books; they easily draw my mind to themselves and away from other things.

There is no so wretched and coarse a soul wherein some particular faculty is not seen to shine.

The laws of conscience, which we pretend to be derived from nature, proceed from Custom.

Kings and philosophers defecate, and so do ladies.

The dispersing and scattering our names into many mouths, we call making them more great.

He was doubtless an understanding Fellow that said, there was no happy Marriage but betwixt a blind Wife and a deaf Husband.

I write to keep from going mad from the contradictions I find among mankind - and to work some of those contradictions out for myself.