Language is the dress of thought; every time you talk your mind is on parade.

Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms together, and you have St. Paul's Church. So it is with human felicity, which is made up of many ingredients, each of which may be shown to be very insignificant.

It is good sense applied with diligence to what was at first a mere accident, and which by great application grew to be called, by the generality of mankind, a particular genius.

A family ... is a little kingdom, torn with factions and exposed to revolutions.

A Scotchman must be a very sturdy moralist who does not love Scotland better than truth.

In discussing these exceptions from the course of nature, the first question is, whether the fact be justly stated. That which is strange is delightful, and a pleasing error is not willingly detected.

No evil is insupportable but that which is accompanied with consciousness of wrong.