Genius is the very eye of intellect and the wing of thought; it is always in advance of its time, and is the pioneer for the generation which it precedes.

Most men remember obligations, but not often to be grateful; the proud are made sour by the remembrance and the vain silent.

Our cares are the mothers, not only of our charities And virtues, but of our best joys and most cheering and enduring pleasures.

To make punishments efficacious, two things are necessary. They must never be disproportioned to the offence, and they must be certain.

The fool is willing to pay for anything but wisdom. No man buys that of which he supposes himself to have an abundance already.

Solitude bears the same relation to the mind that sleep does to the body. It affords it the necessary opportunities for repose and recovery.

It is a bird-flight of the soul, when the heart declares itself in song. The affections that clothe themselves with wings are passions that have been subdued to virtues.