The happy and powerful do not go into exile, and there are no surer guarantees of equality among men than poverty and misfortune.

I am obliged to confess that I do not regard the abolition of slavery as a means of warding off the struggle of the two races in the Southern states. The Negroes may long remain slaves without complaining; but if they are once raised to the level of freemen, they will soon revolt at being deprived of almost all their civil rights; and as they cannot become the equals of the whites, they will speedily show themselves as enemies.

Nobody is going to occupy a place higher than I.

In democratic ages men rarely sacrifice themselves for another, but they show a general compassion for all the human race. One never sees them inflict pointless suffering, and they are glad to relieve the sorrows of others when they can do so without much trouble to themselves. They are not disinterested, but they are gentle.

If I were asked ... to what the singular prosperity and growing strength of Americans ought mainly to be attributed, I should reply: To the superiority of their women.

The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.

The aspect of American society is animated, because men and things are always changing; but it is monotonous, because all the changes are alike.