Nearly all men are slaves for the same reason that the Spartans assigned for the servitude of the Persians -- lack of power to pronounce the syllable, "No." To be able to utter that word and live alone, are the only means to preserve one's freedom and one's character.

All passions exaggerate; and they are passions only because they do exaggerate.

If you must love your neighbor as yourself, it is at least as fair to love yourself as your neighbor.

Swallow a toad in the morning and you will encounter nothing more disgusting the rest of the day.

One can be certain that every generally held idea, every received notion, will be idiocy because it has been able to appeal to the majority

Love is like epidemic diseases. The more one fears it the more likely one is to contract it.

We need to be just before we are generous, as we need shirts before ruffles.