Amusement that is excessive and followed only for its own sake, allures and deceives us.

Silence is the greatest persecution; never do the saints keep themselves silent.

Those who write against vanity want the glory of having written well, and their readers the glory of reading well, and I who write this have the same desire, as perhaps those who read this have also.

Without the knowledge of our wretchedness, the knowledge of God creates pride. With it, the knowledge of God creates despair. The knowledge of Christ offers a third way, because in him we find both God and our wretchedness.

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

There are people who lie simply for the sake of lying.

It is certain that the soul is either mortal or immortal. The decision of this question must make a total difference in the principles of morals. Yet philosophers have arranged their moral system entirely independent of this. What an extraordinary blindness!