Hope is a prodigal young heir, and experience is his banker.

An Irish man fights before he reasons, a Scotchman reasons before he fights, an Englishman is not particular as to the order of precedence, but will do either to accommodate his customers.

Ignorance is a blank sheet, on which we may write; but error is a scribbled one, on which we must first erase.

Most of our misfortunes are more supportable than the comments of our friends upon them.

Time, the cradle of hope.... Wisdom walks before it, opportunity with it, and repentance behind it: he that has made it his friend will have little to fear from his enemies, but he that has made it his enemy will have little to hope from his friends.

He that openly tells, his friends all that he thinks of them, must expect that they will secretly tell his enemies much that they do not think of him.

A power above all human responsibility ought to be above all human attainment.