History is nothing but a pack of tricks that we play upon the dead.

Such then is the human condition, that to wish greatness for one's country is to wish harm to one's neighbors.

All men are born with a nose and ten fingers, but no one was born with a knowledge of God.

True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten oneself and others.

Nothing could be smarter, more splendid, more brilliant, better drawn up than two armies. Trumpets, fifes, hautboys, drums, cannons, formed a harmony such as never been heard in hell.

Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.

History is the recital of facts represented as true. Fable, on the other hand, is the recital of facts represented as fiction.