Talent is a gift which God has given us secretly, and which we reveal without perceiving it.

I shall ever repeat it, that mankind are governed not by extremes, but by principals of moderation.

The pagan religion, which prohibited only some of the grosser crimes, and which stopped the hand but meddled not with the heart, might have crimes that were inexplicable.

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 spirit of commerce is frugality, economy, moderation, labor, ponderance, tranquillity, order, and rule. So long as this spirit subsides, the riches it produces have no bad effect. The mischief is when excessive wealth destroys the spirit of commerce, then it is that the conveniences of inequality... are felt.

There should be weeping at a man's birth, not at his death.