The most miserable mortals are they that deliver themselves up to their palates, or to their lusts; the pleasure is short, and turns presently nauseous, and the end of it is either shame or repentance.

Whereas a prolonged life is not necessarily better, a prolonged death is necessarily worse.

Straightforwardness and simplicity are in keeping with goodness. The things that are essential are acquired with little bother; it is the luxuries that call for toil and effort. To want simply what is enough nowadays suggests to people primitiveness and squalor.

The display of grief makes more demands than grief itself. How few men are sad in their own company.

Such as the chain of causes we call Fate, such is the chain of wishes: one links on to another; the whole man is bound in the chain of wishing for ever.

There is no greater punishment of wickedness that that it is dissatisfied with itself and its deeds.

Time discovers truth.