Peace is the evening star of the soul, as virtue is its sun, and the two are never far apart.

When we live habitually with the wicked, we become necessarily either their victim or their disciple; when we associate, on the contrary, with virtuous men, we form ourselves in imitation of their virtues, or, at least, lose every day something of our faults.

It has been well observed that we should treat futurity as an aged friend from whom we expect a rich legacy.

How strange it is that we of the present day are constantly praising that past age which our fathers abused, and as constantly abusing that present age, which our children will praise.

The present time has one advantage over every other -- it is our own.

Silence is foolish if we are wise, but wise if we are foolish.

When we are in the company of sensible men, we ought to be doubly cautious of talking too much, lest we lose two good things, their good opinion and our own improvement; for what we have to say we know, but what they have to say we know not.