A man's knowledge may be said to be mature, in other words, when it has reached the most complete state of perfection to which he, as an individual, is capable of bringing it, when an exact correspondence is established between the whole of his abstract ideas and the things he has actually perceived for himself. His will mean that each of his abstract ideas rests, directly or indirectly, upon a basis of observation, which alone endows it with any real value; and also that he is able to place every observation he makes under the right abstract idea which belongs to it.

A man of talent will strive for money and reputation; but the spring that moves genius to the production of its works is not as easy to name

The man who goes up in a balloon does not feel as if he were ascending; he only sees the earth sinking deeper below him.

Marrying means doing whatever possible to become repulsed of each other

As a general rule, the longer a man's fame is likely to last, the later it will be in coming; for all excellent products require time for their development.

Nothing shocks our moral feelings so deeply as cruelty does. We can forgive every other crime, but not cruelty. The reason for this is that it is the very opposite of compassion.

That a god like Jehovah should have created this world of misery and woe, out of pure caprice, and because he enjoyed doing it, and should then have clapped his hands in praise of his own work, and declared everything to be very good-that will not do at all!