Natural goodness, which boasts of being so apparent, is often smothered by the least interest. - François de La Rochefoucauld

All men want to be different, and to be greater than they are; they seek for an air other than their own, and a mind different from what they possess; they take their style and manner at chance. They make experiments upon themselves without considering that what suits one person will not suit everyone, that there is no universal rule for taste or manners, and that there are no good copies.

What society calls virtue is for the most part a mere phantom conjured by our passions; we give it a respectable name so that we can do what we like with impunity.

A confidence in being able to please is often an infallible means of being displeasing.