A decent man plays his part to the best of his ability, regardless of the taste of the gallery.
A good number of works owe their success to the mediocrity of their authors' ideas, which match the mediocrity of those of the general public.
Having lots of ideas doesn't mean you're clever, any more than having lots of soldiers means you're a good general.
I've destroyed my passions, rather like a violent man who, finding he can't control his horse, kills it.
Men whose only concern is other people's opinion of them are like actors who put on a poor performance to win the applause of people of poor taste….
Petty souls are more susceptible to ambition than great ones, just as straw or thatched cottages burn more easily than palaces.
Public opinion reigns in society because stupidity reigns amongst the stupid.
The best way to put the shortcomings of society, and, indeed, the whole of mankind, in their proper place is to joke about them.
The most completely wasted of all days is that in which we have not laughed.
What I learned, I no longer know. What little I still know, I have guessed.
[Joking is] proof of your superiority over...the things you're poking fun at.
