Thou source of all my bliss and all my woe, That found'st me poor at first, and keep'st me so.

The English laws punish vice; the Chinese laws do more, they reward virtue.

Whatever be the motives which induce men to write,--whether avarice or fame,--the country becomes more wise and happy in which they most serve for instructors.

The volumes of antiquity, like medals, may very well serve to amuse the curious, but the works of the moderns, like the current coin of a kingdom, are much better for immediate use.

No one but a fool would measure their satisfaction by what the world thinks of it.

The first time I read an excellent book, it is to me just as if I had gained a new friend. When I read a book over I have perused before, it resembles the meeting with an old one.

Every absurdity has a champion to defend it.