“If we judge love by most of its effects, it resembles rather hatred than affection.”

There are bad people who would be less dangerous if they were quite devoid of goodness.

Nothing hinders a thing from being natural so much as the straining ourselves to make it seem so.

Jealousy contains more of self-love than of love.

Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible.

The happiness and misery of men depend no less on temper than fortune.

In sum, simply a business from which those involved propose to derive a steady profit for their own self-love.

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.

When people are filled to the brim with love, they are their most beautiful.

I am appalled that the most vulnerable people in our society are still women.

The Wise County Bookmobile is one of the most beautiful sights in the world to me.

Are one of the most beautiful monuments ever erected to science.

We can forget that most of the people that we know, or at least encounter regularly, are decent and friendly.

Lingerie is one of the most important pieces of your wardrobe.

The Mirror Empire is the most original fantasy I’ve read in a long time.

The power lies in who can say no the most. But, real power, though, lies in the opportunity to say yes.