Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.

Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful.

Men seldom rise from low condition to high rank without employing either force or fraud, unless that rank should be attained either by gift or inheritance.

God and nature have thrown all human fortunes into the midst of mankind; and they are thus attainable rather by rapine than by industry, by wicked actions rather than by good. Hence it is that men feed upon each other, and those who cannot defend themselves must be worried.

....those who become princes through their skill acquire the pricipality with difficulty, buy they hold onto it with ease.

A blast in the human breast is nothing to boast of.

The wish to acquire is in truth very natural and common, and men always do so when they can.but when they cannot do so, yet wish to do so by any means, then there is folly and blame.