Appreciation, whether of nature, or books, or art, or men, depends very much on temperament. What is beauty or genius or greatness to one, is far from being so to another.

To murder character is as truly a crime as to murder the body: the tongue of the slanderer is brother to the dagger of the assassin

Duty performed gives clearness and firmness to faith, and faith thus strengthened through duty becomes the more assured and satisfying to the soul.

Attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it.

Compromise is but the sacrifice of one right or good in the hope of retaining another - too often ending in the loss of both.

Most of our censure of others is only oblique praise of self, uttered to show the wisdom and superiority of the speaker. It has all the invidiousness of self-praise, and all the ill-desert of falsehood.

Hell is truth seen too lateduty neglected in its season.