Inspiration: A peculiar effect of divine flatulence emitted by the Holy Spirit which hisses into the ears of a few chosen of God.
I envy animals for two things – their ignorance of evil to come, and their ignorance of what is said about them.
If there were only one religion in England there would be danger of despotism, if there were two, they would cut each other’s throats, but there are thirty, and they live in peace and happiness.
All sects are different, because they come from men; morality is everywhere the same, because it comes from God.
Earth is an insane asylum, to which the other planets deport their lunatics.
I serve your Beaune to my friends, but your Volnay I keep for myself.
The effervescence of this fresh wine reveals the true brilliance of the French people.
How I like the boldness of the English, how I like the people who say what they think!
Most of my life has been one tragedy after another, most of which hasn’t happened.
It would be very singular that all nature, all the planets, should obey eternal laws, and that there should be a little animal five feet high, who, in contempt of these laws, could act as he pleased, solely according to his caprice.
How inexpressible is the meanness of being a hypocrite! how horrible is it to be a mischievous and malignant hypocrite.
The history of human opinion is scarcely anything more than the history of human errors.
The necessity of saying something, the embarrassment produced by the consciousness of having nothing to say, and the desire to exhibit ability, are three things sufficient to render even a great man ridiculous.
The fate of a nation has often depended upon the good or bad digestion of a prime minister.
Change everything except your loves.
Self love is the instrument of our preservation.
The prudent man does himself good; the virtuous one does it to other men.
Men are in general so tricky, so envious, and so cruel that when we find one who is only weak, we are too happy.
You will notice that in all disputes between Christians since the birth of the Church, Rome has always favored the doctrine which most completely subjugated the human mind and annihilated reason.
The road to the heart is the ear.