“One great use of words is to hide our thoughts.”

“Men use thought only as authority for their injustice, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.”

“Our labour preserves us from three great evils -- weariness, vice, and want.”

“Such then is the human condition, that to wish greatness for one's country is to wish harm to one's neighbors.”

“To pray to God is to flatter oneself that with words one can alter nature.”

“Our character is composed of our ideas and our feelings: and, since it has been proved that we give ourselves neither feelings nor ideas, our character does not depend on us. If it did depend on us, there is nobody who would not be perfect. If one does not reflect, one thinks oneself master of everything; but when one does reflect, one realizes that one is master of nothing”

“One day everything will be well, that is our hope. Everything's fine today, that is our illusion”