We love to hear some men speak, though we hear not what they say; the very air they breathe is rich and perfumed, and the sound of their voices falls on the ear like the rustling of leaves or the crackling of the fire. They stand many deep.

Truth never turns to rebuke falsehood; her own straightforwardness is the severest correction.

Real power is measured by how much you can let things be.

Homer and Shakespeare and Milton and Marvell and Wordsworth are but the rustling of leaves and crackling of twigs in the forest, and there is not yet the sound of any bird. The Muse has never lifted up her voice to sing.

Before printing was discovered, a century was equal to a thousand years.

What an admirable training is science for the more active warfare of life! Indeed, the unchallenged bravery which these studies imply, is far more impressive than the trumpeted valor of the warrior.

Truth is always in harmony with herself, and is not concerned chiefly to reveal the justice that may consist with wrong-doing.