Being conscious of having done a wicked action leaves stings of remorse behind it, which, like an ulcer in the flesh, makes the mind smart with perpetual wounds; for reason, which chases away all other pains, creates repentance, shames the soul with confusion, and punishes it with torment.

We ought to regard books as we do sweetmeats, not wholly to aim at the pleasantest, but chiefly to respect the wholesomest; not forbidding either, but approving the latter most.

It is indeed a desirable thing to be well-descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors.

Vultures are the most righteous of birds: they do not attack even the smallest living creature.

That we may consult concerning others, and not others concerning us.

The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune.

For it was not so much that by means of words I came to a complete understanding of things, as that from things I somehow had an experience which enabled me to follow the meaning of words.