La Rochefoucauld

True eloquence consists of saying all that should be not all that could be said.

One can find women who have never had a love affair but it is rare indeed to find any who have had only one.

What is perfectly true is perfectly witty.

It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.

We are oftener treacherous through weakness than through calculation.

There are few chaste women who are not tired of their trade.

Our virtues are most frequently but vices disguised.

When our vices leave us we flatter ourselves with the credit of having left them.

Our minds are lazier than our bodies.

Affected simplicity is refined imposture.

Self-love is the greatest of all flatterers.

A refusal of praise is a desire to be praised twice.

If we have not peace within ourselves it is in vain to seek it from outward sources.

Weak people cannot be sincere.

If we resist our passions it is more due to their weakness than to our strength.

We have all of us sufficient fortitude to bear the misfortunes of others.

Everyone complains of his lack of memory but nobody of his want of judgement.

It is easier to know mankind in general than man individually.