There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.

We succeed in enterprises which demand the positive qualities we possess, but we excel in those which can also make use of our defects.

No stigma attaches to the love of money in America, and provided it does not exceed the bounds imposed by public order, it is held in honor. The American will describe as noble and estimable ambition that our medieval ancestors would have called base cupidity.

Nothing is more wonderful than the art of being free, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom.

In the United States, associations are established to promote the public safety, commerce, industry, morality, and religion. There is no end which the human will despairs of attaining through the combined power of individuals united into a society.

The taste for well-being is the prominent and indelible feature of democratic times.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of a democratic period is the taste that all men have for easy success and present enjoyment. This occurs in the pursuits of the intellect as well as in others.