"No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown."

"Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood."

"Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders, than from the arguments of its opposers."

"True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment."

"All excess is ill, but drunkenness is of the worst sort. It spoils health, dismounts the mind, and unmans men. It reveals secrets, is quarrelsome, lascivious, impudent, dangerous and bad."

"Men are generally more careful of the breed of their horses and dogs than of their children."

"One act of beneficence, one act of real usefulness, is worth all the abstract sentiment in the world. Sentiment is a disgrace, instead of an ornament, unless it lead us to good actions."

"A friend should be one in whose understanding and virtue we can equally confide, and whose opinion we can value at once for its justness and its sincerity."

"In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language."

"You don't need to outdo the competition. It's expensive and defensive. Underdo your competition. We need more simplicity and clarity."

"The wise learn many things from their enemies."

"It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one."