Troubles forereckoned are doubly suffered.

The life even of a just man is a round of petty frauds; that of a knave a series of greater. We degrade life by our follies and vices, and then complain that the unhappiness which is only their accompaniment is inherent in the constitution of things.

Courage enlarges, cowardice diminishes resources. In desperate straits the fears of the timid aggravate the dangers that imperil the brave.

Kindred weaknesses induce friendships as often as kindred virtues.

A genuine passion is like a mountain stream; it admits of no impediment; it cannot go backward; it must go forward.

Mortal beauty stings while it delights.

The grandest of all laws is the law of progressive development. Under it, in the wide sweep of things, men grow wiser as they grow older, and societies better.