If one only wished to be Sad, this could be horrible for the rest of civilisation; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always di… - Montesquieu

It is a paralogism to say, that the good of the individual should give way to that of the public; this can never take place, except when the government of the community, or, in other words, the liberty of the subject is concerned; this does not affect such cases as relate to private property, because the public good consists in everyone's having his property, which was given him by the civil laws, invariably preserved.

I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve

J'ai toujours vu que, pour réussir dans le monde, il fallait avoir l'air fou et être sage.