There is no greater fool than the man who thinks himself wise; no one is wiser than he who suspects he is a fool.
The more hidden the venom, the more dangerous it is.
distrust ... is the beginning of hatred.
There are women so hard to please that it would seem as if nothing less than an angel would suit them; and hence it comes that they often encounter devils.
The cup of joy is heaviest when empty.
Prudence advises us to use our enemies as if one day they might be friends.
Temptations, like misfortunes, are sent to test our moral strength.
Love works in miracles every day: such as weakening the strong, and stretching the weak; making fools of the wise, and wise men of fools; favouring the passions, destroying reason, and in a word, turning everything topsy-turvy.
Delicacy is the genuine tint of virtue.
It is the same in love as in war; a fortress that parleys is half taken.
There is in us more of the appearance of sense and virtue than of the reality.
Blushes cannot be counterfeited.
God has put into the heart of man love and the boldness to sue, and into the heart of woman fear and the courage to refuse.
We shall all be perfectly virtuous when there is no longer any flesh on our bones.
Science conducts us, step by step, through the whole range of creation, until we arrive, at length, at God.
Servitude is inherent; we are all slaves to duty or to force.
Extreme concupiscence may be found under extreme austerity.
Joy takes away from us the thoughts of our actions; sorrow it is that awakens the soul.
Women suffer more from disappointment than men, because they have more of faith and are naturally more credulous.
It is only the educated who can produce or appreciate high art.
A woman of honor should never suspect another of things she would not do herself.
There are few husbands whom the wife cannot win in the long run, by patience and love.
envy and hatred fascinate the eyes and never make them see things as they are.
No one perfectly loves God who does not perfectly love some of his creatures.
We are always more disposed to laugh at nonsense than at genuine wit; because the nonsense is more agreeable to us, being more comfortable to our natures.
