A Man Does Not Please Long When

If We Did Not Flatter Ourselves, The Flattery Of Others Could Never Harm Us.

There Are Crimes Which Become Innocent And Even Glorious Through Their Splendor, Number And Excess.

We Own Up To Minor Failings, But Only So As To Convince Others That We Have No Major Ones.

We Should Not Be Upset That Others Hide The Truth From Us, When We Hide It So Often From Ourselves.

We Acknowledge Our Faults In Order To Repair By Our Sincerity The Damage They Have Done Us In The Eyes Of Others.