Our speech has its weaknesses and its defects, like all the rest. Most of the occasions for the troubles of the world are grammatical.

Every man carries the entire form of human condition.

To distract myself from tiresome thoughts, I have only to resort to books; they easily draw my mind to themselves and away from other things.

In his commerce with men I mean him to include- and that principally- those who live only in the memory of books. By means of history he will frequent those great souls of former years. If you want it to be so, history can be a waste of time; it can also be, if you want it to be so, a study bearing fruit beyond price.

Obstinacy and contention are common qualities, most appearing in, and best becoming, a mean and illiterate soul.

It is much more easy to accuse the one sex than to excuse the other.

No pleasure is fully delightful without communications, and no delight absolute except imparted.