If not against us, nature is not for us.

In some things, we Americans leave to other countries the carrying out of the principle that stands at the head of our Declaration of Independence.

The world is forever babbling of originality; but there never yet was an original man, in the sense intended by the world; the first man himself--who according to the Rabbins was also the first author--not being an original; the only original author being God.

But the might-have-been is but boggy ground to build upon.

It is hard to be finite upon an infinite subject, and all subjects are infinite.

Students of history are horror-struck at the massacres of old; but in the shambles, men are being murdered to-day.

Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off - then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.