Nothing is rarer than true good nature; those who think they have it are generally only pliant or weak.
There is no less eloquence in the voice, in the eyes and in the air of a speaker than in his choice of words.
True eloquence consists in saying all that should be, not all that could be said.
There are people whose faults become them, others whose very virtues disgrace them.
We are never so happy or so unhappy as we suppose.
Our enemies come nearer the truth in the opinions they form of us than we do in our opinion of ourselves.
Most people judge men only by success or by fortune.
Love of glory, fear of shame, greed of fortune, the desire to make life agreeable and comfortable, and the wish to depreciate others are often causes of that bravery so vaunted among men.
The fame of great men ought always to be estimated by the means used to acquire it.
If we never flattered ourselves the flattery of others would not hurt us.