Sweet is the breath of praise when given by those whose own high merit claims the praise they give.

we live in an age which must be amused, though genius, feeling, trust, and principle be the sacrifice.

Oh! the joy Of young ideas painted on the mind, In the warm glowing colors fancy spreads On objects not yet known, when all is new, And all is lovely.

We are too ready to imagine that we are religious, because we know something of religion. We appropriate to ourselves the pious sentiments we read, and we talk as if the thoughts of other men's heads were really the feelings of our own hearts. But piety has not its seat in the memory, but in the affections, for which however the memory is an excellent purveyor, though a bad substitute.

it may be in morals as it is in optics, the eye and the object may come too close to each other, to answer the end of vision. There are certain faults which press too near our self-love to be even perceptible to us.

Rage is for little wrongs; despair is dumb.

If we commit any crime, or do any good here, it must be in thought; for our words are few and our deeds none at all.