Eloquence is relative. One can no more pronounce on the eloquence of any composition than the wholesomeness of a medicine, without knowing for whom it is intended.

In our judgment of human transactions, the law of optics is reversed, we see most dimly the objects which are close around us.

It is also important to guard against mistaking for good-nature what is properly good-humor,--a cheerful flow of spirits and easy temper not readily annoyed, which is compatible with great selfishness.

He that is not open to conviction is not qualified for discussion.

It is an awful, an appalling thought, that we may be, this moment and every moment, in the presence of malignant spirits.

Grace is in a great measure a natural gift; elegance implies cultivation; or something of more artificial character. A rustic, uneducated girl may be graceful, but an elegant woman must be accomplished and well trained. It is the same with things as with persons; we talk of a graceful tree, but of an elegant house or other building. Animals may be graceful, but they cannot be elegant. The movements of a kitten or a young fawn are full of grace; but to call them "elegant" animals would be absurd.

Everyone wishes to have truth on his side, but not everyone wishes to be on the side of truth.