The second office in the government is honorable and easy; the first is but a splendid misery.

Excessive taxation . . . will carry reason & reflection to every man's door, and particularly in the hour of election.

I am myself an empiric in natural philosophy, suffering my faith to go no further than my facts. I am pleased, however, to see the efforts of hypothetical speculation, because by the collisions of different hypotheses, truth may be elicited and science advanced in the end.

Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.

The steady character of our countrymen is a rock to which we may safely moor; and notwithstanding the efforts of the papers to disseminate early discontents, I expect that a just, dispassionate and steady conduct, will at length rally to a proper system the great body of our country. Unequivocal in principle, reasonable in manner, we shall be able I hope to do a great deal of good to the cause of freedom & harmony.

If the obstacles of bigotry and priestcraft can be surmounted, we may hope that common sense will suffice to do everything else.