Life consists in what a man is thinking of all day.

The soul lets no man go without some visitations and holy-days of a diviner presence.

For everything you gain, you lose something.

Therefore all just persons are satisfied with their own praise. They refuse to explain themselves, and are content that new actions should do them that office. They believe that we communicate without speech, and above speech, and that no right action of ours is quite unaffecting to our friends, at whatever distance; for the influence of action is not to be measured by miles.

There are twenty ways of going to a point, and one is the shortest; but set out at once on one. A man who has that presence of mind which can bring to him on the instant all he knows, is worth for action a dozen men who know as much, but can only bring it to light slowly.

We are immersed in beauty, but our eyes have no clear vision.

Every reform was once a private opinion.