It is not goodness to be better than the worst.

Cling tooth and nail to the following rule: Not to give in to adversity, never to trust prosperity, and always to take full note of fortune's habit of behaving just as she pleases, treating her as if she were actually going to do everything it is in her power to do. Whatever you have been expecting for some time comes as less of a shock.

The arts are the servant; wisdom its master.

It is true greatness to have in one the frailty of a man and the security of a god.

Human affairs are like a chess-game: only those who do not take it seriously can be called good players. Life is like an earthen pot: only when it is shattered, does it manifest its emptiness.

Fire proves gold, adversity proves men.

Freedom can't be kept for nothing. If you set a high value on liberty, you must set a low value on everything else.