Horrible experiences lead us to wonder whether the person who experiences them might not be something horrible.

Those who cannot understand how to put their thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of debate.

Strong hope is a much greater stimulant of life than any single realised joy could be.

For both parties in a controversy, the most disagreeable way of retaliating is to be vexed and silent; for the aggressor usually regards the silence as a sign of contempt.

This is the hardest of all: to close the open hand out of love, and keep modest as a giver.

If we make sacrifices in doing good or in doing ill, it does not alter the ultimate value of our actions; even if we stake our life in the cause, as martyrs do for the sake of our church : it is a sacrifice to our longing for power, or for the purpose of conserving our sense of power.

Does wisdom perhaps appear on the earth as a raven which is inspired by the smell of carrion?