No man, perhaps, is so wicked as to commit evil for its own sake. Evil is generally committed under the hope of some advantage the pursuit of virtue seldom obtains. Yet the most successful result of the most virtuous heroism is never without its alloy.

It is highly convenient to believe in the infinite mercy of God when you feel the need of mercy, but remember also his infinite justice.

Genius in poverty is never feared, because nature, though liberal in her gifts in one instance, is forgetful in another.

Men of genius are often considered superstitious, but the fact is, the fineness of their nerve renders them more alive to the supernatural than ordinary men.

The greatest geniuses have always attributed everything to God, as if conscious of being possessed of a spark of His divinity.

Mistrusts sometimes come over one's mind of the justice of God. But let a real misery come again, and to whom do we fly? To whom do we instinctively and immediately look up?

Never suffer youth to be an excuse for inadequacy, nor age and fame to be an excuse for indolence.