In the religion of all nations a purity is hinted at, which, I fear, men never attain to.

The effect of a good government is to make life more valuable; of a bad one, to make it less valuable.

I am a majority of one.

To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit and read it are old women over their tea.

We do not learn much from learned books, but from true, sincere, human books, from frank and honest biographies.

All things in this world must be seen with youthful, hopeful eyes.

We seem to think that the earth must go through the ordeal of sheep-pasturage before it is habitable by man.