There is no arena in which vanity displays itself under such a variety of forms as in conversation.

We sometimes learn more from the sight of evil than from an example of good; and it is well to accustom ourselves to profit by the evil which is so common, while that which is good is so rare.

There is a lot of difference between tempting and leading into error. God tempts but does not lead into error. To tempt is to provide opportunities for us to do certain things if we do not love God, but putting us under no necessity to do so. To lead into error is to compel a man necessarily to conclude and follow a falsehood.

Since we cannot be universal and know all that is to be known of everything, we ought to know a little about everything. For it is far better to know something about everything than to know all about one thing. This universality is the best. If we can have both, still better; but if we must choose, we ought to choose the former.

It is superstitious to put one's hopes in formalities, but arrogant to refuse to submit to them.

Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary.

When intuition and logic agree, you are always right.