Impassioned characters never attain their mark till they have overshot it.

Since there must be chimeras, why is not perfection the chimera of all men?

Miracles are God's coups d'etat.

My sole defense against the natural horror which death inspires is to love beyond it.

Friendship is like those ancient altars where the unhappy, and even the guilty, found a sure asylum.

Old age is not one of the beauties of creation, but it is one of its harmonies. The law of contrasts is one of the laws of beauty. Under the conditions of our climate, shadow gives light its worth; sternness enhances mildness; solemnity, splendor. Varying proportions of size support and subserve one another.

I love victory, but I love not triumph.