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.

You need not value it yourself if you do not wish to; but you ought to allow it to us who do value it.

It is far more important to resist apathy than anarchy or despotism, for apathy can give rise, almost indifferently, to either one.

Born often under another sky, placed in the middle of an always moving scene, himself driven by the irresistible torrent which draws all about him, the American has no time to tie himself to anything, he grows accustomed only to change, and ends by regarding it as the natural state of man. He feels the need of it, more he loves it; for the instability; instead of meaning disaster to him, seems to give birth only to miracles all about him.

Society is endangered not by the great profligacy of a few, but by the laxity of morals amongst all.

I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run.

I studied the Koran a great deal. I came away from that study with the conviction there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as that of Muhammad.