A portion of mankind take pride in their vices and pursue their purpose; many more waver between doing what is right and complying with what is wrong.
A prince must be prudent enough to know how to escape the bad reputation of those vices that would lose the state for him, and must protect himself from those that will not lose it for him, if this is possible; but if he cannot, he need not concern himself unduly if he ignores these less serious vices.
Alas, human vices, however horrible one might imagine them to be, contain the proof (were it only in their infinite expansion) of man's longing for the infinite; but it is a longing that often takes the wrong route. It is my belief that the reason behind all culpable excesses lies in this depravation of the sense of the infinite.
Every day confirms my opinion on the superiority of a vicious life — and if Virtue is not its own reward I don't know any other stipend annexed to it.
Every vice has its excuse ready.
Half the vices which the world condemns most loudly have seeds of good in them and require moderated use rather than total abstinence.
He who hates vice hates men.
Here am I: at one stroke incestuous, adulteress, sodomite, and all that in a girl who only lost her maidenhead today! What progress, my friends… with what rapidity I advance along the thorny road of vice!
I have not a particle of confidence in a man who has no redeeming vices.
It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.
Let them show me a cottage where there are not the same vices of which they accuse the courts.
Life is extraordinarily suave and sweet with certain natural, witty, affectionate people who have unusual distinction and are capable of every vice, but who make a display of none in public and about whom no one can affirm they have a single one. There is something supple and secret about them. Besides, their perversity gives spice to their most innocent occupations, such as taking a walk in the garden at night.
Most vices demand considerable self-sacrifices. There is no greater mistake than to suppose that a vicious life is a life of uninterrupted pleasure. It is a life almost as wearisome and painful — if strenuously led — as Christian's in The Pilgrim's Progress.
Never support two weaknesses at the same time. It's your combination sinners — your lecherous liars and your miserly drunkards — who dishonor the vices and bring them into bad repute.
No exile at the South Pole or on the summit of Mont Blanc separates us more effectively from others than the practice of a hidden vice.
So much of our lives is given over to the consideration of our imperfections that there is no time to improve our imaginary virtues. The truth is we only perfect our vices, and man is a worse creature when he dies than he was when he was born.
The disgrace of others often keeps tender minds from vice.
The function of vice is to keep virtue within reasonable bounds.
The vices of some men are magnificent.
The vices we scoff at in others, laugh at us within ourselves.