He that floats lazily down the stream, in pursuit of something borne along by the same current, will find himself indeed moved forward; but unless he lays his hand to the oar, and increases his speed by his own labour, must be always at the same distance from that which he is following.

Sorrow is properly that state of the mind in which our desires are fixed upon the past without looking forward to the future.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing - it only hastens fools to rush in where angels fear to tread.

Philosophy has often attempted to repress insolence by asserting that all conditions are leveled by death; a position which, however it may defect the happy, will seldom afford much comfort to the wretched.

The traveler that resolutely follows a rough and winding path will sooner reach the end of his journey than he that is always changing his direction, and wastes the hour of daylight in looking for smoother ground and shorter passages.

A fallible being will fail somewhere.

Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties.