The common interests very largely elude public opinion entirely, and can be managed only by a specialised class.

Men fall into a routine when they are tired and slack: it has all the appearance of activity with few of its burdens.

True opinions can prevail only if the facts to which they refer are known; if they are not known, false ideas are just as effective as true ones, if not a little more effective.

It is perfectly true that that government is best which governs least. It is equally true that that government is best which provides most.

Men who are orthodox when they are young are in danger of being middle-aged all their lives.

The private citizen, beset by partisan appeals for the loan of his Public Opinion, will soon see, perhaps, that these appeals are not a compliment to his intelligence, but an imposition on his good nature and an insult to his sense of evidence.

Great men, even during their lifetime, are usually known to the public only through a fictitious personality.