“We read on the foreheads of those who are surrounded by a foolish luxury, that fortune sells what she is thought to give.”

A hungry stomach cannot hear.

Lynx-eyes toward our equals, and moles to ourselves.

Alas! we see that the small have always suffered for the follies of the great.

Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people.

Death never takes the wise man by surprise, he is always ready to go.

In short, luck’s always to blame.

The ruins of a house may be repaired; why cannot those of the face?

Our condition never satisfies us; the present is always the worst. Though Jupiter should grant his request to each, we should continue to importune him.

Everyone has his faults which he continually repeats: neither fear nor shame can cure them.

No favor can win gratitude from a cat.

Too many expedients may spoil an affair.

Sensible people find nothing useless.

It is said, that the thing you possess is worth more than two you may have in the future. The one is sure and the other is not.

Dressed in the lion’s skin, the ass spread terror far and wide.

There is no road of flowers leading to glory.

We risk all in being too greedy.

Fortune rules in all things, and advances and depresses things more out of her own will than right and justice.

Sovereignty is easily preserved by the very arts by which it was originally created. When, however, energy has given place to indifference, and temperance and justice to passion and arrogance, then as the morals change so changes fortune.

Fear of the future is worse than one’s present fortune.

Good fortune is as light as a feather, but nobody knows how to pick it up. Misfortune is as heavy as earth, but nobody knows how to stay out of it’s way.

War will of itself discover and lay open the hidden and rankling wounds of the victorious party.

Aggressive Christianity is the world’s greatest need.

The task of history is to hold out for reprobation every evil word and deed, and to hold out for praise every great and noble word and deed.

When a building is about to fall down, all the mice desert it.