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.

We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end to them.

Philosophy is the art and law of life, and it teaches us what to do in all cases, and, like good marksmen, to hit the white at any distance.

No crime has been without a precedent.

The wise man will not pardon any crime that ought to be punished, but he will accomplish, in a nobler way, all that is sought in pardoning. He will spare some and watch over some, because of their youth, and others on account of their ignorance. His clemency will not fall short of justice, but will fulfill it perfectly.

The first proof of a well-ordered mind is to be able to pause and linger within itself.

However wretched a fellow-mortal may be, he is still a member of our common species.