Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Repentance is not so much remorse for what we have done as the fear of the consequences. ”

Perhaps being old is having lighted rooms inside your head, and people in them, acting. People you know, yet can't quite name. ”

The desire to seem clever often keeps us from being so. ”

We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves. ”

There is no better proof of a man's being truly good than his desiring to be constantly under the observation of good men. ”

Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible. ”

Men often pass from love to ambition, but they seldom come back again from ambition to love. ”

Moderation is the feebleness and sloth of the soul, whereas ambition is the warmth and activity of it. ”

Love often leads on to ambition, but seldom does one return from ambition to love. ”

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