The art of conversation is to be prompt without being stubborn, to refute without argument, and to clothe great matters in a motley garb.

King Louis Philippe once said to me that he attributed the great success of the British nation in political life to their talking politics after dinner.

A female friend, amiable, clever, and devoted, is a possession more valuable than parks and palaces; and without such a muse, few men can succeed in life, none be contented.

At present the peace of the world has been preserved, not by statesmen, but by capitalists.

The world is a wheel, and it will all come round right.

A man's fate is his own temper; and according to that will be his opinion as to the particular manner in which the course of events is regulated. A consistent man believes in destiny, a capricious man in chance.

One of the hardest things in this world is to admit you are wrong. And nothing is more helpful in resolving a situation than its frank admission.