No action will be considered blameless, unless the will was so, for by the will the act was dictated.

The wise man will not pardon any crime that ought to be punished, but he will accomplish, in a nobler way, all that is sought in pardoning. He will spare some and watch over some, because of their youth, and others on account of their ignorance. His clemency will not fall short of justice, but will fulfill it perfectly.

It is the mind that makes us rich and happy, in what condition soever we are, and money signifies no more to it than it does to the gods.

I don't trust liberals, I trust conservatives.

It is easier to exclude harmful passions than to rule them, and to deny them admittance than to control them after they have been admitted.

The artist finds a greater pleasure in painting than in having completed the picture.

If you sit in judgment, investigate, if you sit in supreme power, sit in command.