“A philospher sees the Earth as a large planet, travelling through the heavens, covered with fools”

A philosopher will not believe what he sees because he is too busy speculating about what he does not see.

It is the passions that do and undo everything.

There are three things I have loved but never understood. Art, music and women.

Women react differently: a French woman who sees herself betrayed by her husband will kill his mistress; an Italian will kill her husband; a Spaniard will kill both; and a German will kill herself.

They will have the World to be in Large, what a Watch is in Small; which is very regular, and depends only upon the just disposing of the several Parts of the Movement.

A well-cultivated mind is, so to speak, made up of all the minds of preceding ages; it is only one single mind which has been educated during all this time.

A man finds no sweeter voice in all the world than that which chants his praise.

In vain we shall penetrate more and more deeply the secrets of the structure of the human body, we shall not dupe nature; we shall die as usual.

Let us be well assured of the Matter of Fact, before we trouble our selves with enquiring into the Cause. It is true, that this Method is too slow for the greatest part of Mankind, who run naturally to the Cause, and pass over the Truth of the Matter of Fact.

Ah! si l’on o” tait les chime’ res aux hommes, quel plaisir leur resterait? Oh! If man were robbed of his fantasies, what pleasure would be left him?

I hate war, for it spoils conversation.

Nature intends that, at fixed periods, men should succeed each other by the instrumentality of death. We shall never outwit Nature; we shall die as usual.

Modesty in women has two special advantages,–it enhances beauty and veils uncomeliness.

Behold a universe so immense that I am lost in it. I no longer know where I am. I am just nothing at all. Our world is terrifying in its insignificance.

I shall leave the world without regret, for it hardly contains a single good listener.

If I held all the thoughts of the world in my hand, I would be careful not to open it.

As for the accusation of intellectual pride, surely the boot is on the other foot. Atheists don’t claim to know anything with certainty — it’s the believers who know it all.

The most annoying of all blockheads is a well-read fool.

I never learned to read or write music. Never wanted to fool with scales. That was boring, forced. The music I heard was free – flowing.

He who is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.

I am comfortable playing the fool, I think.

Most people are such fools that it is really no great compliment to say that someone is above the average.

We often fool ourselves that we are concentrating because we fix our attention on wavering objects.

Being judgmental is cheap. Any fool can do it.