If thou art rich, then show the greatness of thy fortune; or what is better, the greatness of thy soul, in the meekness of thy conversation; condescend to men of low estate, support the distressed, and patronize the neglected. Be great.

Precedents are the disgrace of legislation. They are not wanted to justify right measures, are absolutely insufficient to excuse wrong ones. They can only be useful to heralds, dancing masters, and gentlemen ushers.

Conversation is a traffick; and if you enter into it, without some stock of knowledge, to ballance the account perpetually betwixtyou,--the trade drops at once: and this is the reasonwhy travellers have so little [good] conversation with natives,--owing to their [the natives'] suspicionthat there is nothing to be extracted from the conversationworth the trouble of their bad language.

A man who values a good night's rest will not lie down with enmity in his heart, if he can help it.

Writing, when properly managed, (as you may be sure I think mine is) is but a different name for conversation.

Writings may be compared to wine. Sense is the strength, but wit the flavor.

My father, whose way was to force every event in nature into an hypothesis, by which means never man crucified TRUTH at the rate he did.