I will not tolerate your faults. They are of no use to me.
Acknowledge your limitations or they will tyrannize over you.
I have a special grudge against those who have the same faults as I do.
Beggars market their incapacity.
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.
I am interested in a hundred things, but only slightly.
Curiosity is an asset mostly frittered away.
Curiosity engenders both science and scandal.
To win hearts, smile kindly on people’s weaknesses.
Many have never felt strong, but everyone knows what it is to feel weak.
Helplessness is a mighty power.
I deplore my shortcomings, but plan to keep them.
Weakness is a better teacher than strength. Weakness must learn to understand the obstacles that strength brushes aside.
Leisure unmasks our weaknesses.