I have no ambition to shine beyond my abilities.

The only competition worthy of a wise man is with himself.

Distinction is the consequence, never the object of a great mind.

The greatest of all fools is the proud fool--who is at the mercy of every fool he meets.

Never expect justice from a vain man; if he has the negative magnanimity not to disparage you, it is the most you can expect.

Never judge a work of art by its defects.

Desert being the essential condition of praise, there can be no reality in the one without the other.

Reputation is but a synonym of popularity: dependent on suffrage, to be increased or diminished at the will of the voters.

Selfishness in art, as in other things, is sensibility kept at home.

No man knows himself as an original.

The most common disguise of Envy is in praise of what is subordinate.

Some people will hate you for not loving them.

You only become truly rich the day you possess something that money cannot buy.

You can be cool and at the same time respect your woman, who will hopefully become your wife, who will hopefully become the mother of your kids. America needs to get back to family values.

I don't care about age very much.

For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us.

Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water.

There are as many sorts of women as there are women.

Americans don't bother to notice anybody else in the world.

You will find the poet who wrings the heart of the world, or the foremost captain of his time, driving a bargain or paring a potato, just as you would do.

Everything had felt so precarious since her mother's death, like she was walking on a bridge made of paper.