Persius has justly observed, that knowledge is nothing to him who is not known by others to possess it: to the scholar himself it is nothing with respect either to honour or advantage, for the world cannot reward those qualities which are concealed from it; with respect to others it is nothing, because it affords no help to ignorance or errour.

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

Exactness is first obtained, and afterwards elegance. But diction, merely vocal, is always in its childhood. As no man leaves his eloquence behind him, the new generations have all to learn. There may possibly be books without a polished language, but there can be no polished language without books.

Contempt is a kind of gangrene which, if it seizes one part of a character, corrupts all the rest by degrees.

In all political regulations, good cannot be complete, it can only be predominant.

I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigrees of nations.

It is very common for us to desire most what we are least qualified to obtain.