A general loftiness of sentiment, independence of men, consciousness of good intentions, self-oblivion in great objects, clear views of futurity; thoughts of the blessed companionship of saints and angels, trust in God as the friend of truth and virtue,--these are the states of mind in which I should live.

Fix your eyes on perfection and you make almost everything speed towards it.

Men are never very wise and select in the exercise of a new power.

It is far more important to me to preserve an unblemished conscience than to compass any object however great.

Another powerful principle of our nature, which is the spring of war, is the passion for superiority, for triumph, for power. The human mind is aspiring, impatient of inferiority, and eager for preeminence and control.

All that we do outwardly is but the expression and completion of our inward thought. To work effectively, we must think clearly; to act nobly, we must think nobly.

The office of government is not to confer happiness, but to give men the opportunity to work out happiness for themselves.