Friendship may sometimes step a few paces in advance of truth.

Wisdom consisteth not in knowing many things, nor even in knowing them thoroughly; but in choosing and in following what conduces the most certainly to our lasting happiness and true glory.

Kings play at war unfairly with republics; they can only lose some earth, and some creatures they value as little, while republics lose in every soldier a part of themselves.

The habit of pleasing by flattery makes a language soft; the fear of offending by truth makes it circuitous and conventional.

Nothing is pleasanter to me than exploring in a library.

Wherever there is excessive wealth, there is also in the train of it excessive poverty.

The only effect of public punishment is to show the rabble how bravely it can be borne; and that every one who hath lost a toe-nail hath suffered worse.