Silence is one great art of conversation.

I hate to be near the sea, and to hear it roaring and raging like a wild beast in its den. It puts me in mind of the everlasting efforts of the human mind, struggling to be free, and ending just where it began.

We imagine that the admiration of the works of celebrated men has become common, because the admiration of their names has become so.

Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects, and discovering other people's weaknesses.

Modesty is the lowest of the virtues, and is a real confession of the deficiency it indicates. He who undervalues himself is justly undervalued by others.

To be happy, we must be true to nature and carry our age along with us.

Some one is generally sure to be the sufferer by a joke.