A minister of state is excusable for the harm he does when the helm of government has forced his hand in a storm; but in the calm he is guilty of all the good he does not do.

The ancient Romans built their greatest masterpieces of architecture, their amphitheaters, for wild beasts to fight in.

I am a little deaf, a little blind, a little important and on top of this are two or three abominable infirmities, but nothing destroys my hope.

The abuse of grace is affectation, as the abuse of the sublime is absurdity; all perfection is nearly a fault.

The secret of being a bore... is to tell everything.

The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else's eyes.

The public is a ferocious beast; one must either chain it or flee from it.