No one should therefore fear that he cannot accomplish what others have accomplished, for, men are born, live, and die in quite the same way they always have.

I consider it a mark of great prudence in a man to abstain from threats or any contemptuous expressions, for neither of these weaken the enemy, but threats make him more cautious, and the other excites his hatred, and a desire to revenge himself.

...it behooves us to adapt oneself to the times if one wants to enjoy continued good fortune.

For one change always leaves a dovetail into which another will fit.

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

....for friendships that are acquired by a price and not by greatness and nobility of character are purchased but are not owned, and at the proper moment they cannot be spent.

Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.