"I am only the first servant of the state."

"If I wished to punish a province, I would leave it to be governed by philosophers."

"All religions must be tolerated... every man must go to heaven in his own way."

"The only way to keep a secret is to tell no one."

"A man who is too sensitive to the world and too much given to reflection will find it hard to endure the slings and arrows of misfortune."