All our qualities, whether good or bad, are unstable and ambiguous, and almost all are at the mery of chance.
The applause we give those who are new to society often proceeds from a secret envying of those already established.
A man seldom finds people unthankful, as long as he remains in a condition of benefiting them further.
Our hopes, often though they deceive us, lead us pleasantly along the path of life.
We make promises to the extent that we hope-and keep them to the extent that we fear.
One cannot answer for his courage when he has never been in danger.
It is more often from pride than from ignorance that we are so obstinately opposed to current opinions; we find the first places taken, and we do not want to be the last.
We pardon to the extent that we love.
The desire to be thought clever often prevents a man from becoming so.
Jealousy is bred in doubts. When those doubts change into certainties, then the passion either ceases or turns absolute madness.
Nothing is so contagious as example; and we never do any great good or evil which does not produce its like.
What is called generosity is usually only the vanity of giving; we enjoy the vanity more than the thing given.
We often shed tears that deceive ourselves after deceiving others.
One can no more look steadily at death than at the sun.
Philosophy triumphs easily over past evils and future evils, but present evils triumph over it.
Sometimes we lose friends for whose loss our regret is greater than our grief, and others for whom our grief is greater than our regret.
A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire.
The name and pretense of virtue is as serviceable to self-interest as are real vices.
Everyone takes pleasure in returning small obligations, many people acknowledge moderate ones; but there are only a scarce few who do not pay great ones with ingratitude.
There are no accidents so unlucky but the prudent may draw some advantage from them.
Few things are impossible in themselves: application to make them succeed fails us more often than the means.
A man, in order to establish himself in the world, does everything he can to appear established there.
Often we are firm from weakness, and audacious from timidity.
There are people who would never have been in love, had they never heard love spoken of.
The accent of a man's native country remains in his mind and his heart, as it does in his speech.
