Nouns ending in -al, -ment, and -eau are generally masculine (except for eau (water), which is feminine): le cheval (horse), le paiement (payment), le couteau (knife), etc, etc...
Nouns ending in -ance, -ence, -tion, and -ette are feminine: l'ambiance (atmosphere), la permanence (permanence), l'attention (attention), la serviette (napkin).
Though, many nouns add -e to the masculine noun to form the feminine: un ami (male friend), une amie (female friend).
There are nouns that change the -eur masculine ending to -euse for the feminine, for example: un chanteur (male singer), une chanteuse (female singer).
There are nouns that change the -eur masculine ending to -trice for feminine: le directeur (male director), la directrice (female director)...
"To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else."