Cats don’t caress us-they caress themselves on us.

To lose one’s self in reverie, one must be either very happy, or very unhappy. Reverie is the child of extremes.

A fool may have his coat embroidered with gold, but it is a fool’s coat still.

The personal pronoun “I” should be the coat of arms of some individuals.

The world is governed by love, – self-love.

Familiarity is the root of the closest friendships, as well as the intensest hatreds

The world is governed by love,--self-love.

The most civilized people are as near to barbarism as the most polished steel is to rust. Nations, like metals, have only a superficial brilliancy.

The absolute ruler may be a Nero, but he is sometimes a Titus or Marc Aurelius; the people is often Nero, but never Marc Aurelius.

There are men who gain from their wealth only the fear of losing it.