No one but yourself knows whether you are cowardly and cruel, or loyal and devout; others do not see you; they surmise you by uncertain conjectures; they perceive not so much your nature as your art.

A straight oar looks bent in the water. It matters not merely that we see a thing, but how we see it.

There is nothing so extreme that is not allowed by the custom of some nation or other.

If there is such a thing as a good marriage, it is because it resembles friendship rather than love.

Nature should have been pleased to have made this age miserable, without making it also ridiculous.

Confidence in the goodness of another is good proof of one's own goodness.

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.