Neither man or nation can exist without a sublime idea.
Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him.
If you want to be respected by others the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.
It's in the homes of spiteful old widows that one finds such cleanliness.
The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.
Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.
Man is tormented by no greater anxiety than to find someone quickly to whom he can hand over that great gift of freedom with which the ill-fated creature is born.
The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.