Capital must be propelled by self-interest; it cannot be enticed by benevolence.

In the faculty of writing nonsense, stupidity is no match for genius.

But of all nations in the world the English are perhaps the least a nation of pure philosophers.

A family on the throne is an interesting idea. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life.

The Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights - the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn. And a king of great sense and sagacity would want no others.

The reason why so few good books are written is, that so few people that can write know anything. In general an author has always lived in a room, has read books, has cultivated science, is acquainted with the style and sentiments of the best authors, but he is out of the way of employing his own eyes and ears. He has nothing to hear and nothing to see. His life is a vacuum.

The characteristic merit of the English constitutions is, that its dignified parts are very complicated and somewhat imposing, very old and rather venerable, while its efficient part, at least when in great and critical action, is decidedly simple and modern.