Evil often triumphs, but never conquers.
What is love? two souls and one flesh; friendship? two bodies and one soul.
Philosophers call God the great unknown The great misknown is more like it!
Have friends, not for the sake of receiving, but of giving.
At first we hope too much and later on, not enough.
Friendship admits of difference of character, as love does that of sex.
In youth one has tears without grief; in age, griefs without tears
Great souls are harmonious.
The egoist does not tolerate egoism.
Education, properly understood, is that which teaches discernment.
Poetry is truth in its Sunday clothes.
There is a slowness in affairs which ripens them, and a slowness which rots them.
Nothing vivifies, and nothing kills, like the emotions.
The happiness which is lacking makes one think even the happiness one has unbearable.
Science is for those who learn, poetry is for those who know.
The folly which we might have ourselves committed is the one which we are least ready to pardon in another.
Poetry is the exquisite expression of exquisite expressions.
Say nothing good of yourself, you will be distrusted; say nothing bad of yourself, you will be taken at your word.
A fine quotation is a diamond in the hand of a man of wit and a pebble in the hand of a fool.
There are people who laugh to show their fine teeth; and there are those who cry to show their good hearts.
We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.
It is a very rare thing for a man of talent to succeed by his talent.
When unhappy, one doubts everything; when happy, one doubts nothing.
Reason guides but a small part of man, and the rest obeys feeling, true or false, and passion, good or bad.
Our experience is composed rather of illusions lost than of wisdom acquired.
Solitude vivifies; isolation kills.
Everything that is exquisite hides itself.
The Holy Scriptures praise the dew of the morning and the dew of the evening; ros matutinum, ros serotinum! Happy is he who possesses the gift of tears! when young, he will bear flowers; when old, fruit!
What is experience? A poor little hut constructed from the ruins of the palace of gold and marble called our illusions.
We often experience more regret over the part we have left, than pleasure over the part we have preferred.
Friendship is the ideal; friends are the reality; reality always remains far apart from the ideal.
Present unhappiness is selfish; past sorrow is compassionate.
I look at what I have not and think myself unhappy; others look at what I have and think me happy.
Experience comprises illusions lost, rather than wisdom gained.
