The spirit of the world, the great calm presence of the creator, comes not forth to the sorceries of opium or of wine.

There is always a certain meanness in the argument of conservatism, joined with a certain superiority in its fact.

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.

The student is to read history actively and not passively; to esteem his own life the text, and books the commentary. Thus compelled, the muse of history will utter oracles as never to those who do not respect themselves.

I think I have done well, if I have acquired a new word from a good author; and my business with him is to find my own, though itwere only to melt him down into an epithet or an image for daily use.

A man finds room in the few square inches of the face for the traits of all his ancestors; for the expression of all his history, and his wants.

The person who screams, or uses the superlative degree, or converses with heat puts whole drawing-rooms to flight. If you wish to be loved, love measure.