“Such a great misfortune, not to be able to be alone.”

“We can recognize the dawn and the decline of love by the uneasiness we feel when alone together.”

“The true spirit of conversation consists more in bringing out the cleverness of others than in showing a great deal of it yourself; he who goes away pleased with himself and his own wit is also greatly pleased with you. Most men would rather please than admire you; they seek less to be instructed, and even to be amused, than to be praised and applauded.”

“that man is good who does good to others; if he suffers on account of the good he does, he is very good; if he suffers at the hands of those to whom he has done good, then his goodness is so great that it could be enhanced only by greater sufferings; and if he should die at their hands, his virtue can go no further: it is heroic, it is perfect”

“Une froideur ou une incivilité qui vient de ceux qui sont au-dessus de nous nous les fait haïr, mais un salut ou un sourire nous les réconcilie.”

“Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.”

“Il faut chercher seulement à penser et à parler juste, sans vouloir amener les autres à notre goût et à nos sentiments ; c'est une trop grande entreprise”