"It is a universal law — have no illusion — that every creature alive is attached to nothing so much as to its own self-interest."

"If a man has a bad smell, he is not to blame for it, but his clothes. If a man is ill, he is not to blame for it, but his body. If a man is a fool, he is not to blame for it, but his mind."

"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid."

"Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power."

"Freedom isn't secured by filling up on your heart's desire but by removing your desire."