Many need no other provocation to enmity than that they find themselves excelled.

Every state of society is as luxurious as it can be. Men always take the best they can get.

The world is like a grand staircase, some are going up and some are going down.

Consultation and compliance can conduce little to the perfection of any literary performance; for whoever is so doubtful of his own abilities as to encourage the remarks of others, will find himself every day embarrassed with new difficulties, and will harass his mind, in vain, with the hopeless labour of uniting heterogeneous ideas, digesting independent hints, and collecting into one point the several rays of borrowed light, emitted often with contrary directions.

It is more reasonable to wish for reputation while it may be enjoyed, as Anacreon calls upon his companions to give him for present use the wine and garlands which they propose to bestow upon his tomb.

Levellers wish to level down as far as themselves; but they cannot bear levelling up to themselves.

Adversity leads us to think properly of our state, and so is most beneficial to us.