I hold it to be of great prudence for men to abstain from threats and insulting words towards any one, for neither the one nor the other in any way diminishes the strength of the enemy; but the one makes him more cautious, and the other increases his hatred of you, and makes him more persevering in his efforts to injure you

...people are by nature fickle, and it is easy to persuade them of something, but difficult to keep them persuaded.

Results are often obtained by impetuosity and daring which could never have been obtained by ordinary methods.

If the present be compared with the remote past, it is easily seen that in all cities and in all peoples there are the same desires and the same passions as there always were.

One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.

One arises from a low to a high station more often by using fraud instead of force.

If you only notice human proceedings, you may observe that all who attain great power and riches, make use of either force or fraud; and what they have acquired either by deceit or violence, in order to conceal the disgraceful methods of attainment, they endeavor to sanctify with the false title of honest gains.