Make men wise, and by that very operation you make them free. Civil liberty follows as a consequence of this; no usurped power can stand against the artillery of opinion.

Whenever truth stands in the mind unaccompanied by the evidence upon which it depends, it cannot properly be said to be apprehended at all.

No man must encroach upon my province, nor I upon his. He may advise me, moderately and without pertinaciousness, but he must not expect to dictate to me. He may censure me freely and without reserve; but he should remember that I am to act by my deliberation and not his. I ought to exercise my talents for the benefit of others; but that exercise must be the fruit of my own conviction; no man must attempt to press me into the service.

Perseverance is an active principle, and cannot continue to operate but under the influence of desire.

Revolution is engendered by an indignation with tyranny, yet is itself pregnant with tyranny.

Books gratify and excite our curiosity in innumerable ways.

Of Belief Human mathematics, so to speak, like the length of life, are subject to the doctrine of chances.