There are only two distinct classes of people on this earth, those who espouse enthusiasm and those who despise it.

The education of life perfects the thinking mind, but depraves the frivolous.

Who understands much, forgives much.

It seems to me that we become more dear one to the other, in together admiring works of art, which speak to the soul by their true grandeur.

Gaiety pleases more when we are assured that it does not cover carelessness.

Of all human sentiments, enthusiasm creates the most happiness; it is the only sentiment in fact which gives real happiness, the only sentiment which can help us to bear our human destiny in any situation in which we may find ourselves.

The most beautiful landscapes in the world, if they evoke no memory, if they bear no trace of a remarkable event, are uninteresting compared to historic landscapes.