Even in social life, it is persistency which attracts confidence, more than talents and accomplishments.

There is a serious and resolute egotism that makes a man interesting to his friends and formidable to his opponents.

An epigram often flashes light into regions where reason shines but dimly.

Whenever you find humour, you find pathos close by its side.

God, in His wrath, has not left this world to the mercy of the subtlest dialectician; and all arguments are happily transitory in their effect when they contradict the primal intuitions of conscience and the inborn sentiments of the heart.

There is a natural disposition with us to judge an author's personal character by the character of his works. We find it difficult to understand the common antithesis of a good writer and a bad man.

What does competency in the long run mean? It means to all reasonable beings, cleanliness of person, decency of dress, courtesy of manners, opportunities for education, the delights of leisure, and the bliss of giving.