Imprudence gets us into more trouble than actual misdeeds do.
Prudence does not save us, but shows us pictures of our destroyers.
In ethics, prudence is not an important virtue, but in the world it is almost everything.
Once wealth and beauty are gone, there is always rural life.
The transcendental promises a vacation from history.
It is not confused. We are.
Pity drowns in numbers.
The question you're not supposed to ask is the important one.
Futility has become a great subject, full of opportunities.
Fear of my cruel impulses makes me kind.
Sulking is silent because speaking would reveal its folly.
I criticize myself ruthlessly, but never mention the faults of which I am truly ashamed.
I will not tolerate your faults. They are of no use to me.
Beggars beg to get money, not to reproach the passerby.
Whether I give to a beggar or not, his existence puts me in the wrong.
When courtesy fails, be nasty, brutish, and short.
Not even self-love can always be counted on for support.
A beautiful woman peers out her window, as full of envy as the harridan who peers up at her from the street.
Envy awakens at the sound of a distant laugh.
After Voltaire: envy is chained to the portico of the temple of glory and can neither enter nor leave.
Curiosity is an asset mostly frittered away.
Curiosity engenders both science and scandal.
To be a social success, do not act pathetic, arrogant, or bored. Do not discuss your unhappy childhood, your visit to the dentist,the shortcomings of your cleaning woman, the state of your bowels, or your spouse's bad habits. You will be thought a paragon (or perhaps a monster) of good behavior.
At the dinner table, if you can't think of anything to say, sit quietly. Don't throw rolls, or chew on your napkin.
Paradox implies that stating a contradiction disposes of it.
