No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had

There must always be some advantage on one side or the other, and it is better that advantage should be had by talents than by chance.

That is the happiest conversation where there is no competition, no vanity, but a calm, quiet interchange of sentiments...

The fiction of happiness is propagated by every tongue and confirmed by every look till at last all profess the joy which they do not feel and consent to yield to the general delusion.

Frequent discontent must proceed from frequent hardships.

There is ... scarcely any species of writing of which we can tell what is its essence, and what are its constituents; every new genius produces some innovation, which, when invented and approved, subverts the rules which the practice of foregoing authors had established.

The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it.