“Private passions tire and exhaust themselves, public ones never”

“Progress, under whose feet the grass mourns and the forest turns into paper from which newspaper plants grow, has subordinated the purpose of life to the means of subsistence and turned us into the nuts and bolts for our tools”

“Democracy divides people into workers and loafers. It makes no provision for those who have no time to work”

“It is no little wisdom for you to keep yourself in silence and in good peace when evil words are spoken to you, and to turn your heart to God and not to be troubled with the judgment of others”

“The beggar is the only person in the universe not obliged to study appearance.”

“No one ever regarded the First of January with indifference. It is that from which all date their time, and count upon what is left. It is the nativity of our common Adam”