A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it.

Never do your enemy a minor injury.

A wise man will see to it that his acts always seem voluntary and not done by compulsion, however much he may be compelled by necessity.

It is much better to tempt fortune where it can favor you than to see your certain ruin by not tempting it.

When settling disputes between his subjects, he should ensure that his judgement is irrevocable; and he should be so regarded that no one ever dreams of trying to deceive or trick him.

Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.

There is nothing that Nature seems to have inclined us to as much as society.