I care only to know, if possible, the lasting meaning that lies in all religious doctrine from the beginning till now.

Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning; but give me the man who has the pluck to fight when he's sure of losing.

Nature repairs her ravages, but not all. The uptorn trees are not rooted again; the parted hills are left scarred; if there is a new growth, the trees are not the same as the old, and the hills underneath their green vesture bear the marks of the past rending. To the eyes that have dwelt on the past, there is no thorough repair.

Genius is the capacity for receiving and improving by discipline.

Ignorance ... is a painless evil; so, I should think, is dirt, considering the merry faces that go along with it.

When what is good comes of age, and is likely to live, there is reason for rejoicing.

Few things hold the perception more thoroughly captive than anxiety about what we have got to say