Indeed it is generally the case that men are readier to call rogues clever than simpletons honest, and are ashamed of being the second as they are proud of being the first.

Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most.

Three of the gravest failings, want of sense, of courage, or of vigilance.

An avowal of poverty is no disgrace to any man; to make no effort to escape it is indeed disgraceful.

When a man finds a conclusion agreeable, he accepts it without argument, but when he finds it disagreeable, he will bring against it all the forces of logic and reason.

I dread our own mistakes more than the enemy's intentions.

For men can endure to hear others praised only so long as they can severally persuade themselves of their own ability to equal the actions recounted: when this point is passed, envy comes in and with it incredulity.