The secret to fencing consists in two things: to give and to not receive.

A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.

People can be induced to swallow anything, provided it is sufficiently seasoned with praise.

The maturing process of becoming a writer is akin to that of a harlot. First you do it for love, then for a few friends, and finally only for money.

The impromptu reply is precisely the touchstone of the man of wit.

Ah! how annoying that the law doesn't allow a woman to change husbands just as one does shirts.

There are pretenders to piety as well as to courage.