“Those who occupy their minds with small matters, generally become incapable of greatness.”

We give advice, but we cannot give the wisdom to profit by it.

We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.

We are easily comforted for the misfortunes of our friends, when those misfortunes give us an occasion of expressing our affection and solicitude.

We say little, when vanity does not make us speak.

Perfect behavior is born of complete indifference.

Passion makes idiots of the cleverest men, and makes the biggest idiots clever.

To know how to hide one’s ability is great skill.

There are very few people who are not ashamed of having been in love when they no longer love each other.

Self-interest makes some people blind, and others sharp-sighted.

Ridicule dishonors a man more than dishonor does.

Our actions seem to have their lucky and unlucky stars, to which a great part of that blame and that commendation is due which is given to the actions themselves.

We promise in proportion to our hopes, and we deliver in proportion to our fears.

Flattery is a kind of bad money, to which our vanity gives us currency.

One can find women who have never had one love affair, but it is rare indeed to find any who have had only one.

As one grows older, one becomes wiser and more foolish.

There is no disguise which can hide love for long where it exists, or simulate it where it does not.

There is no such thing as an incurable disease, only incurable people.

But the affection and care for the old, the incurable, the helpless are the true gold mines of a culture.

Life is an incurable disease.