There is no doubt such a thing as chance, but I see no reason why Providence should not make use of it.

Tears are the natural penalties of pleasure. It is a law that we should pay for all that we enjoy.

What we call vice in our neighbor may be nothing less than a crude virtue. To him who knows nothing more of precious stones than he can learn from a daily contemplation of his breastpin, a diamond in the mine must be a very uncompromising sort of stone.

No errors of opinion can possibly be dangerous in a country where opinion is left free to grapple with them.

The birth of a child is the imprisonment of a soul.

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

The only true source of politeness is consideration.