Chance is a second master.

The largest land animal is the elephant, and it is the nearest to man in intelligence: it understands the language of its country and obeys orders, remembers duties that it has been taught, is pleased by affection and by marks of honour, nay more it possesses virtues rare even in man, honesty, wisdom, justice, also respect for the stars and reverence for the sun and moon.

True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read.

A short death is the sovereign good hap of human life.

The ancients had little doubt about the true shape of the earth: "It's [the world's] shape has the rounded appearance of a perfect sphere. This is shown first of all by the name of 'orb' which is bestowed upon it by the general consent of mankind. ...Our eyesight also confirms this belief, because the firmament presents the aspect of a concave hemisphere equidistant in every direction, which would be impossible in the case of any other figure."

We neglect those things which are under our very eyes, and heedless of things within our grasp, pursue those which are afar off.

Wine takes away reason, engenders insanity, leads to thousands of crimes, and imposes such an enormous expense on nations.