Greatness is great power, producing great effects. It is not enough that a man has great power in himself, he must shew it to all the world in a way that cannot be hid or gainsaid.

To be wiser than other men is to be honester than they; and strength of mind is only courage to see and speak the truth.

Familiarity confounds all traits of distinction; interest and prejudice take away the power of judging.

There is no flattery so adroit or effectual as that of implicit assent.

Tears may be considered as the natural and involuntary resource of the mind overcome by some sudden and violent emotion, before ithas had time to reconcile its feelings to the change in circumstances: while laughter may be defined to be the same sort of convulsive and involuntary movement, occasioned by mere sur prise or contrast (in the absence of any more serious emotion), before it has time to reconcile its belief to contradictory appearances.

Friendship is cemented by interest, vanity, or the want of amusement; it seldom implies esteem, or even mutual regard.

Our energy is in proportion to the resistance it meets.