Those old stories of visions and dreams guiding men have their truth; we are saved by making the future present to ourselves.

Science is properly more scrupulous than dogma. Dogma gives a charter to mistake, but the very breath of science is a contest with mistake, and must keep the conscience alive.

... learning to love any one is like an increase of property, -- it increases care, and brings many new fears lest precious things should come to harm.

When the animals entered the Ark in pairs, one may imagine that allied species made much private remark on each other, and were tempted to think that so many forms feeding on the same store of fodder were eminently superfluous, as tending to diminish the rations.

As to memory, it is known that this frail faculty naturally lets drop the facts which are less flattering to our self-love - when it does not retain them carefully as subjects not to be approached, marshy spots with a warning flag over them.

I don't want the world to give me anything for my books except money enough to save me from the temptation to write only for money.

If the past is not to bind us, where can duty lie? We should have no law but the inclination of the moment.