The endeavour to convince a _bel esprit_ by the force of reason, is as mad an undertaking as the attempt to silence an echo by raising the voice. Metaphysics always remind me of the caravanserais in the desert. They stand solitary and unsupported, and are therefore always ready to crumble into ruin. A man should make his _début_ in the world as though he were about to enter a hostile country; he must send out scouts, establish sentinels, and ever be upon the watch himself. Too much sensibility creates unhappiness; too much insensibility creates crime. What I have been taught, I have forgotten; what I know, I have guessed. An elderly coxcomb may be compared to a butterfly deprived of wings—he becomes a caterpillar once more. Certain acts may be rendered legal; but can never be made legitimate. Human life is like a game at chess; each piece holds its place upon the chess-board—king, queen, bishop, and pawn. Death comes, the game is up, and all are thrown, without distinction, pell-mell into the same bag. The bold defiance of a woman is the certain sign of her shame—when she has once ceased to blush, it is because she has too much to blush for. Life, to a young man, is like a new acquaintance, of whom he grows disgusted as he advances in years. When certain absurd opinions become too generally adopted, they must be replaced by less noxious errors—that is the best way of arriving at Truth. It is an attribute of true philosophy, never to force the progress of Truth and Reason, but to wait till the dawn of Light; meanwhile, the philosopher may wander into hidden paths, but he will never depart far from the main track. Prudence in a woman should be an instinct, not a virtue. Churchmen and men of letters have peculiar difficulties in the world,—the first are continually divided between scandal and hypocrisy, the second between pride and baseness. The thought of death throws upon life a lurid glow, resembling that of a conflagration, lighting up that which it is about to devour. In love we grow acquainted, because we are already attached—in friendship we must know each other before we love. A great capitalist is like a vast lake, upon whose bosom ships can navigate, but which is useless to the country, because no stream issues thence to fertilize the land. With a great seigneur, there is more to be gained by flattering his vices than by improving his estates. Truth and virtue can do less good in the world than their false, well-acted semblance can do evil. A generous man will place the benefits he confers beneath his feet,—those he receives, nearest his heart. A narrow-minded man can never possess real and true generosity—he can never go beyond mere benevolence. General maxims applied to every-day life are like routine applied to the arts, good only for mediocre intellects. If you wish to appear agreeable in society, you must consent to be taught many things which you know already.