The dupe of friendship, and the fool of love have I not reason to hate and to despise myself? Indeed I do and chiefly for not having hated and despised the world enough.

• To be happy, we must be true to nature and carry our age along with us.
• Love turns, with a little indulgence, to indifference or disgust hatred alone is immortal.
• Rules and models destroy genius and art.
• The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.
• Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects, and discovering other people's weaknesses.
• Life is the art of being well deceived and in order that the deception may succeed it must be habitual and uninterrupted.
• The art of pleasing consists in being pleased.
• Look up, laugh loud, talk big, keep the color in your cheek and the fire in your eye, adorn your person, maintain your health, your beauty and your animal spirits.
• Grace in women has more effect than beauty.
• Hope is the best possession. None are completely wretched but those who are without hope. Few are reduced so low as that.