The effective strength of sects is not to be ascertained merely by counting heads.
Thomas B. MacaulayOnly imagine a man acting for one single day on the supposition that all his neighbors believe all that they profess, and act up to all that they believe!
Thomas B. MacaulayWe know no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodical fits of morality.
Thomas B. MacaulayA vice sanctioned by the general opinion is merely a vice. The evil terminates in itself. A vice condemned by the general opinion produces a pernicious effect on the whole character. The former is a local malady; the latter, constitutional taint. When the reputation of the offender is lost, he too often flings the remainder of his virtue after it in despair.
Thomas B. Macaulay