True happiness springs from moderation.

To become aware in time when young of the advantages of age; to maintain the advantages of youth in old age: both are pure fortune.

The world cannot do without great men, but great men are very troublesome to the world.

Shakespeare is dangerous to young poets; they cannot but reproduce him, while they fancy that they produce themselves.

Who is sure of their own motives can in confidence advance or retreat.

Certain books seem to be written, not that we might learn from them, but in order that we might see how much the author knows.

As for solitude, I cannot understand how certain people seek to lay claim to intellectual stature, nobility of soul and strength of character, yet have not the slightest feeling for seclusion; for solitude, I maintain, when joined with a quiet contemplation of nature, a serene and conscious faith in creation and the Creator, and a few vexations from outside is the only school for a mind of lofty endowment.