moral vanity is the snare of good people.

... there must be reserves -- except with God. The human soul is solitary. But for confession that is different; justice and reparation sometimes demand it; but, again, justice and courage sometimes forbid it.

silence is very moving to youth, for who knows what it hides?

If you give way to fear, you'll be a coward; and ... a coward is apt to be a liar. The devil's first name is Fear.

A letter is a risky thing; the writer gambles on the reader's frame of mind.

men love their wives not because of their virtues, but in spite of them.

Books are like sapphires; they must be polished - polished! or else you insult your readers.