I know it is more agreeable to walk upon carpets than to lie upon dungeon floors, I know it is pleasant to have all the comforts and luxuries of civilization; but he who cares only for these things is worth no more than a butterfly, contented and thoughtless, upon a morning flower; and who ever thought of rearing a tombstone to a last summer's butterfly?

All human affairs follow nature's great analogue, the growth of vegetation. There are three periods of growth in every plant. The first, and slowest, is the invisible growth by the root; the second and much accelerated is the visible growth by the stem; but when root and stem have gathered their forces, there comes the third period, in which the plant quickly flashes into blossom and rushes into fruit.

We let our blessings get mouldy, and then call them curses.

Men can make an idol of the Bible.

No man rides so high and in such good company as the man that allies himself to a truth.

Never forget what a man has said to you when he was angry. If he has charged you with anything, you had better look it up.

The ability to convert ideas to things is the secret of outward success.