A man must be able to cut a knot, for everything cannot be untied; he must know how to disengage what is essential from the detail in which it is enwrapped, for everything cannot be equally considered; in a word, he must be able to simplify his duties, his business and his life.

Order means light and peace, inward liberty and free command over one's self; order is power.

The mind must have for ballast the clear conception of duty, if it is not to fluctuate between levity and despair.

A belief is not true simply because it is useful.

True love is that which ennobles the personality, fortifies the heart, and sanctifies the existence.

Sympathy is the first condition of criticism; reason and justice presuppose, at their origin, emotion.

Sympathy is the first condition of criticism.