Pity is not natural to man. Children are always cruel. Savages are always cruel. Pity is acquired and improved by the cultivation of reason. We may have uneasy sensations from seeing a creature in distress, without pity; for we have not pity unless we wish to relieve them.

The superiority of some men is merely local. They are great because their associates are little.

You raise your voice when you should reinforce your argument.

Every man has a lurking wish to appear considerable in his native place.

The vanity of being known to be trusted with a secret is generally one of the chief motives to disclose it.

We are long before we are convinced that happiness is never to be found, and each believes it possessed by others, to keep alive the hope of obtaining it for himself.

The life of a conscientious clergyman is not easy. I have always considered a clergyman as the father of a larger family than he is able to maintain. I would rather have chancery suits upon my hands than the cure of souls.