Men come together in cities in order to live: they remain together in order to live the good life

It is just that we should be grateful, not only to those with whose views we may agree, but also to those who have expressed more superficial views; for these also contributed something, by developing before us the powers of thought.

Every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.

But the whole vital process of the earth takes place so gradually and in periods of time which are so immense compared with the length of our life, that these changes are not observed, and before their course can be recorded from beginning to end whole nations perish and are destroyed.

Should a man live underground, and there converse with the works of art and mechanism, and should afterwards be brought up into the open day, and see the several glories of the heaven and earth, he would immediately pronounce them the work of such a Being as we define God to be.

The virtue as the art consecrates itself constantly to what's difficult to do, and the harder the task, the shinier the success.

All friendly feelings toward others come from the friendly feelings a person has for himself.