Whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the sun.

The Constitution on which our Union rests, shall be administered by me [as President] according to the safe and honest meaning contemplated by the plain understanding of the people of the United States at the time of its adoption - a meaning to be found in the explanations of those who advocated, not those who opposed it, and who opposed it merely lest the construction should be applied which they denounced as possible.

We prefer war in all cases to tribute under any form and to any people whatever.

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.

I find the pain of a little censure, even when it is unfounded, is more acute than the pleasure of much praise.

Do not be too severe upon the errors of the people, but reclaim them by enlightening them.

No stile of writing is so delightful as that which is all pith, which never omits a necessary word, nor uses an unnecessary one.