All knowledge is of itself of some value. There is nothing so minute or inconsiderable, that I would not rather know it than not. In the same manner, all power, of whatever sort, is of itself desirable. A man would not submit to learn to hem a ruffle, of his wife, or his wife's maid; but if a mere wish could attain it, he would rather wish to be able to hem a ruffle.

All wonder is the effect of novelty on ignorance.

Distance has the same effect on the mind as on the eye.

Friends are often chosen for similitude of manners, and therefore each palliates the other's failings because they are his own.

The world will never be long without some good reason to hate the unhappy; their real faults are immediately detected; and if those are not sufficient to sink them into infamy, an individual weight of calumny will be super-added.

Solitude is dangerous to reason, without being favourable to virtue. Remember that the solitary mortal is certainly luxurious, probably superstitious, and possibly mad.

You may translate books of science exactly. ... The beauties of poetry cannot be preserved in any language except that in which it was originally written.