Temper, if ungoverned, governs the whole man.

Truth is the most powerful thing in the world, since even fiction itself must be governed by it, and can only please by its resemblance. The appearance of reality is necessary to make any passion agreeably represented, and to be able to move others we must be moved ourselves, or at least seem to be so, upon some probable grounds.

If we are told a man is religious we still ask what are his morals? But if we hear at first that he has honest morals, and is a man of natural justice and good temper, we seldom think of the other question, whether he be religious and devout.

The face of Truth is not less fair and beautiful for all the counterfeit visors which have been put upon her.

True features make the beauty of a face, and true proportions the beauty of architecture.

No one was ever the better for advice: in general, what we called giving advice was properly taking an occasion to show our own wisdom at another's expense; and to receive advice was little better than tamely to another the occasion of raising himself a character from our defects.

They who are great talkers in company have never been any talkers by themselves, nor used to private discussions of our home regimen.