The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts.

I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.

Reason may be the lever, but sentiment gives you the fulcrum and the place to stand on if you want to move the world.

Every now and then a man's mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions.

The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts.

Imitation is a necessity of human nature.

Beware of making your moral staple consist of the negative virtues.