A witty saying proves nothing.

But in this country it is necessary, now and then, to put one admiral to death in order to inspire the others to fight.

We offer up prayers to god only because we have made him after our own image. We treat him like a pasha, or a sultan, who is capable of being exasperated and appeased.

Shun idleness. It is rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant metals.

What would constitute useful history? That which should teach us our duties and our rights, without appearing to teach them.

This is no time to be making new enemies.

People must have renounced, it seems to me, all natural intelligence to dare to advance that animals are but animated machines.... It appears to me, besides, that such people can never have observed with attention the character of animals, not to have distinguished among them the different voices of need, of suffering, of joy, of pain, of love, of anger, and of all their affections. It would be very strange that they should express so well what they could not feel.