God's justice and His power are inseparable; 'tis in vain we invoke His power in an unjust cause. We are to have our souls pure and clean, at that moment at least wherein we pray to Him, and purified from all vicious passions; otherwise we ourselves present Him the rods wherewith to chastise us; instead of repairing anything we have done amiss, we double the wickedness and the offence when we offer to Him, to whom we are to sue for pardon, an affection full of irreverence and hatred. Which makes me not very apt to applaud those whom I observe to be so frequent on their knees, if the actions nearest to the prayer do not give me some evidence of amendment and reformation

Kings and philosophers shit, and so do ladies.

He who does not give himself leisure to be thirsty cannot take pleasure in drinking.

Even opinion is of force enough to make itself to be espoused at the expense of life.

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.

A man of understanding has lost nothing, if he has himself.

A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.

Nothing is so firmly believed as what we least know.

There are some defeats more triumphant than victories.

If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than it was because he was he, and I was I. Variants: If a man urge me to tell wherefore I loved him, I feel it cannot be expressed but by answering: Because it was he, because it was myself. If a man should importune me to give a reason why I loved him, I find it could no otherwise be expressed, than by making answer: because it was he, because it was I.