Eloquence may be found in conversations and in all kinds of writings; it is rarely found when looked for, and sometimes discovered where it is least expected.

When a secret is revealed, it is the fault of the man who confided it.

Favor exalts a man above his equals, but his dismissal from that favor places him below them.

The exact contrary of what is generally believed is often the truth.

Making a book is a craft, like making a clock; it needs more than native wit to be an author.

A heap of epithets is poor praise: the praise lies in the facts, and in the way of telling them.

Praise, of all things, is the most powerful excitement to commendable actions, and animates us in our enterprises.