Of all faults the greatest is the excess of impious terror, dishonoring divine grace. He who despairs wants love, wants faith; for faith, hope, and love are three torches which blend their light together, nor does the one shine without the other.

The bee and the serpent often sip from the selfsame flower.

Prepare thy soul calmly to obey; such offering will be more acceptable to God than every other sacrifice.

The eye that gazes upon the sun sees not the orb it looks upon, confounded by the excess of its brightness.

High birth is an accident, not a virtue.

We are like vessels tossed on the bosom of the deep; our passions are the winds that sweep us impetuously forward; each pleasure is a rock; the whole life is a wide ocean. Reason is the pilot to guide us, but often allows itself to be led astray by the storms of pride.

Every noble acquisition is attended with its risks; he who fears to encounter the one must not expect to obtain the other.