It is sad that the modern world’s expectation of man’s ability to control every event in life has lead to the dismissal of misfortune; so much so that “bad luck” is perceived as personal weakness.

We will gradually become indifferent to what goes on in the minds of other people when we acquire an adequate knowledge of the superficial and futile nature of their thoughts, of the narrowness of their views, of the paltriness of their sentiments, of the perversity of their opinions, and of the number of their errors. We shall then see that whoever attaches a lot of value to the opinions of others pays them too much honour.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer

Once we have resolved only to see those who will treat us morally and virtuously, reasonably and truthfully, without treating conventions, vanities and ceremonials as anything other than props of polite society; when we have taken this resolve (and we have to do so or we will end up foolish, weak and villainous), the result is that we will have to live more or less on our own.
~ Nicolas de Chamfort

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

It is interesting, no sad, how the simple greeting "How are you?" is understood by many as an invitation to start a monologue and seize the time and attention until goodbyes are exchanged.

One can be certain that every generally held idea, every received notion, will be an idiocy, because it has been able to appeal to a majority.
~ Nicolas de Chamfort

There are certain times when public opinion is the worst of all opinions.
~ Nicolas de Chamfort

We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet.
~ Stephen Hawking (warning on making contacts with extra-terrestrials)

To err is human, to repent divine, to persist devilish.
~ Benjamin Franklin

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.
~ Margaret Thatcher

Not to know is bad. Not to wish to know is worse.
~ African proverb

Great music is that which penetrates the ear with facility and leaves the memory with difficulty. Magical music never leaves the memory.
~ Sir Thomas Beecham

The amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and moral courage it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of the time.
~ John Stuart Mill

Humility's origin, its base, is nothing.