In the condition of men, it frequently happens that grief and anxiety lie hid under the golden robes of prosperity; and the gloom of calamity is cheered by secret radiations of hope and comfort; as in the works of nature, the bog is sometimes covered with flowers, and the mine concealed in the barren crags.

We may take Fancy for a companion, but must follow Reason as our guide.

The natural progress of the works of men is from rudeness to convenience, from convenience to elegance, and from elegance to nicety.

Criticism, as it was first instituted by Aristotle, was meant as a standard of judging well.

The dangers gather as the treasures rise.

Men, however distinguished by external accidents or intrinsick qualities, have all the same wants, the same pains, and, as far as the senses are consulted, the same pleasures.

Commerce can never be at a stop while one man wants what another can supply; and credit will never be denied, while it is likely to be repaid with profit.