That which men call virtue is usually no more than a phantom formed by our passions, to which one gives an honest name in order to do with impunity w… - François de La Rochefoucauld

People with a high opinion of their own merit make it a point of honor to be unhappy so as to convince others as well as themselves that they are worthy victims of the buffetings of fate

When not prompted by vanity we say little.

We should observe the place, the occasion, the temper in which we find the person who listens to us, for if there is much art in speaking to the purpose, there is no less in knowing when to be silent. There is an eloquent silence which serves to approve or to condemn, there is a silence of discretion and of respect. In a word, there is a tone, an air, a manner, which renders everything in conversation agreeable or disagreeable, refined or vulgar.