Men first make up their minds (and the smaller the mind the sooner made up), and then seek for the reasons; and if they chance to stumble upon a good reason, of course they do not reject it. But though they are right, they are only right by chance.

The happiest lot for a man, as far as birth is concerned, is that it should be such as to give him but little occasion to think much about it.

As the flower is before the fruit, so is faith before good works.

The depreciation of Christianity by indifference is a more insidious and less curable evil than infidelity itself.

It is quite possible, and not uncommon, to read most laboriously, even so as to get by heart the words of a book, without really studying it at all,--that is, without employing the thoughts on the subject.

Even supposing there were some spiritual advantage in celibacy, it ought to be completely voluntary.

To teach one who has no curiosity to learn, is to sow a field without ploughing it.