The renown which riches or beauty confer is fleeting and frail mental excellence is a splendid and lasting possession.

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

It is not unlikely, too, that the rejection of God is a kind of punishment: we may well believe that those who knew the Gods and neglected them in one life may in another life be deprived of the knowledge of them altogether. Also those who have worshipped their own kings as gods have deserved as their punishment to lose all knowledge of God.

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

It is a law of human nature that in victory even the coward may boast of his prowess, while defeat injures the reputation even of the brave.

A small state increases by concord; the greatest falls gradually to ruin by dissension.

Small communities grow great through harmony, great ones fall to pieces through discord.