"The life of a man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster."

"The sceptic, therefore, still continues to reason and believe, even though he asserts that he cannot defend his reason by reasons."

"To be a philosophical sceptic is, in a man of letters, the first and most essential step towards being a true philosopher."

"I am sensible, that, in order to make a man a good cavaller, 'tis not sufficient to teach him to ride; he must have a good horse."

"Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty."