Neither The Gifts Nor The Blows Of

Mediocre Men Sometimes Fear Great Office, And When They Do Not Aim At It, Or When They Refuse It, All That Is To Be Concluded Is That They Are Aware Of Their Mediocrity.

We Often Quarrel With The Unfortunate To Get Rid Of Pitying Them.

Is It Against Justice Or Reason To Love Ourselves? And Why Is Self-love Always A Vice?

Superficial Knowledge ... Is Hurtful To Those Who Possess True Genius; For It Necessarily Draws Them Away From Their Main Object, Wastes Their Industry Over Details And Subjects Foreign To Their Needs And Natural Talent, And Lastly Does Not Serve, As They Flatter Themselves, To Prove The Breadth Of Their Mind. In All Ages There Have Been Men Of Very Moderate Intelligence Who Knew Much, And So On The Contrary, Men Of The Highest Intelligence Who Knew Very Little. Ignorance Is Not Lack Of Intelligence, Nor Knowledge A Proof Of Genius.

Our Opinion Of Others Is Not So Variable As Our Opinion Of Ourselves.