Astronomy is perhaps the science whose discoveries owe least to chance, in which human understanding appears in its whole magnitude, and through which man can best learn how small he is.

Man is to be found in reason, God in the passions.

Just as there are polysyllabic words that say very little, so there are also monosyllabic words of infinite meaning.

The highest point to which a weak but experienced mind can rise is detecting the weakness of better men.

A book is a mirror: if an ape looks into it an apostle is hardly likely to look out.

Whenever he composes a critical review, I have been told, he gets an enormous erection.

Of all the inventions of man I doubt whether any was more easily accomplished than that of a Heaven.