The supposed right of intolerance is absurd and barbaric. It is the right of the tiger; nay, it is far worse, for tigers do but tear in order to have food, while we rend each other for paragraphs.
It is with books as with the fires of our grates, everybody borrows a light from his neighbor to kindle his own, which in turn is communicated to others, and each partakes of all.
I know of nothing more laughable than a doctor who does not die of old age.
Luxury has been railed at for two thousand years, in verse and in prose, and it has always been loved.
He who has heard the same thing told by 12,000 eye-witnesses has only 12,000 probabilities, which are equal to one strong probability, which is far from certain.
If one does not reflect, one thinks oneself master of everything; but when one does reflect, one realizes that one is master of nothing.
What would constitute useful history? That which should teach us our duties and our rights, without appearing to teach them.
History in general is a collection of crimes, follies, and misfortunes among which we have now and then met with a few virtues, and some happy times.
A circumstance which has always appeared wonderful to me, is that such sublime discoveries should have been made by the sole assistance of a quadrant and a little arithmetic.
Man can have only a certain number of teeth, hair and ideas; there comes a time when he necessarily loses his teeth, hair and ideas.
We are obliged to place ourselves on the level of our age before we can rise above it.
There’s scarce a point whereon mankind agree – So well as in their boast of killing me; I boast of nothing, but when I’ve a mind – I think I can be even with mankind.
The worthy administrators of justice are like a cat set to take care of a cheese, lest it should be gnawed by the mice. One bite of the cat does more damage to the cheese than twenty mice can do.
The harmony of a concert, to which you listen with delight, must have on certain classes of minute animals the effect of terrible thunder; perhaps it kills them.
A physician is one who pours drugs of which he knows little into a body of which he knows less.
There is a pleasure in not being pleased.
Feeble verses are those which sin not against rules, but against genius.
The policy of man consists, at first, in endeavoring to arrive at a state equal to that of animals, whom nature has furnished with food, clothing, and shelter.
The passions are the winds which fill the sails of the vessel; they sink it at times, but without them it would be impossible to make way.
The spirit of property doubles a man’s strength.