"Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found."

"As a general rule… people ask for advice only in order not to follow it; or if they do follow it, in order to have someone to blame for giving it."

"How odd and inexplicable are the paths of destiny. What intention did Providence have by ruining the one who it has raised up, and raising up the one who it has ruined?"

"The soul forms its own horizons; your soul is darkened, and consequently the sky of the future appears stormy and unpromising."

"I have always had more dread of a pen, a bottle of ink, and a sheet of paper than of a sword or pistol."