Make the Revolution a parent of settlement, and not a nursery of future revolutions.

There ought to be system of manners in every nation which a well-formed mind would be disposed to relish. To make us love our country, our country ought to be lovely.

Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants.

Adversity is a severe instructor, set over us by one who knows us better than we do ourselves, as he loves us better too. He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper. This conflict with difficulty makes us acquainted with our object, and compels us to consider it in all its relations. It will not suffer us to be superficial.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

An extreme rigor is sure to arm everything against it.

Humanity cannot be degraded by humiliation.