Two men are equally free from the rage of ambition; are they therefore equal in merit? Perhaps not; one may be above ambition, the other below it.

Habit is the cement of society, the comfort of life, and, alas! The root of error.

Politics is the food of sense exposed to the hunger of folly.

How happy is it for us, that the admiration of others should depend so much more on their ignorance than our perfection!

No fruit has a more precise marked period of maturity, than love; if neglected to be gathered at that time, it will certainly fall to the ground and die away.

It is so much in the nature of men to overreach and deceive one another, that their very sports and plays are founded on that principle.

It has been said that the beauties of the mind are valuable because they are more lasting than those of the body; but I do not remember to have heard it said that the beauties of the mind are valuable because they make those of the body more lasting.