Ambition drove many men to become false; to have one thought locked in the breast, another ready on the tongue.

The glory of wealth and of beauty is fleeting and frail; virtue is illustrious and everlasting.

No grief reaches the dead.

Small endeavours obtain strength by unity of action: the most powerful are broken down by discord.

Do as much as possible, and talk of yourself as little as possible

Distinguished ancestors shed a powerful light on their descendants, and forbid the concealment either of their merits or of their demerits.

But few prize honour more than money.