That extremes beget extremes is an apothegm built on the most profound observation of the human mind.

The hate which we all bear with the most Christian patience is the hate of those who envy us.

Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Time ... advances like the slowest tide, but retreats like the swiftest torrent.

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

Happiness is much more equally divided than some of us imagine. One man shall possess most of the materials, but little of the thing; another may possess much of the thing, but very few of the material. In this particular view of it, happiness had been beautifully compared to the man in the desert--he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack.

A wise minister would rather preserve peace than gain a victory, because he knows that even the most successful war leaves nations generally more poor, always more profligate, than it found them.