If reason is a universal faculty, the decision of the common mind is the nearest criterion of truth.

Truth is not exciting enough to those who depend on the characters and lives of their neighbors for all their amusement; and if a story is told of more than common interest, ennui is sure to have its joy in adding embellishments. If hours did not hang heavy, what would become of scandal?

The exact measure of the progress of civilization is the degree in which the intelligence of the common mind has prevailed over wealth and brute force.

The fears of one class of men are not the measure of the rights of another.

Conscience is the mirror of our souls, which represents the errors of our lives in their full shape.

The friendship between me and you I will not compare to a chain; for that the rains might rust, or the falling tree might break.

If reason is a universal faculty, the decision of the common mind is the nearest criterion of truth.