It is not good for man to cherish a solitary ambition. Unless there be those around him, by whose example he may regulate himself, his thoughts, desires, and hopes will become extravagant, and he the semblance, perhaps the reality, of a madman

Every individual has a place to fill in the world and is important in some respect whether he chooses to be so or not.

Death is so genuine a fact that it excludes falsehoods, or betrays its emptiness; it is a touchstone that proves the gold, and dishonors the baser metal.

Oh, for the years I have not lived, but only dreamed of living.

Strength is incomprehensible by weakness, and, therefore, the more terrible.

There is an alchemy of quiet malice by which women can concoct a subtle poison from ordinary trifles.

The moment when a man's head drops off is seldom or never, I am inclined to think, precisely the most agreeable of his life.