Cosimo de' Medici

We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends.

— Cosimo de' Medici

There is in gardens a plant which one ought to leave dry, although most people water it. It is the weed called envy.

— Cosimo de' Medici

All those things [meaning works of art] have given me the greatest satisfaction and contentment because they are not only for the honor of God but are likewise for my own remembrance. For fifty years, I have done nothing else but earn money and spend money; and it became clear that spending money gives me greater pleasure than earning it.

— Cosimo de' Medici