Reading nurtures the soul, and an enlightened friend brings it solace.

I read these words which are the sum of all moral philosophy, and which cut short all the disputes of the casuists: When in doubt if an action is good or bad, refrain.

Common sense is both more rare and more desirable in leaders than mere intelligence.

Men must have somewhat altered the course of nature; for they were not born wolves, yet they have become wolves. God did not give them twenty-four-pounders or bayonets, yet they have made themselves bayonets and guns to destroy each other. In the same category I place not only bankruptcies, but the law which carries off the bankrupts’ effects, so as to defraud their creditors.

To caress the serpent that devours us, until it has eaten away our heart.

Almost all life depends on probabilities.

A clergyman is one who feels himself called upon to live without working at the expense of the rascals who work to live.