I have always observed that to succeed in the world one should seem a fool, but be wise.

We ought to be very cautious and circumspect in the prosecution of magic and heresy. The attempt to put down these two crimes may be extremely perilous to liberty.

When God endowed human beings with brains, He did not intend to guarantee them.

The mood and temper of the public in regard to the treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of the civilisation of any country.

The crime against nature will never make any great progress in society unless people are prompted to it by some particular custom.

There is still another inconvenieney in conquests made by democracies; their government is ever odious to the conquered states. It is apparently monarchical, but in reality it is more oppressive than monarchy, as the experience of all ages and countries evinces.

Useless laws weaken the necessary laws.