The love of fame is almost another name for the love of excellence; or it is the ambition to attain the highest excellence, sanctioned by the highest authority, that of time.

Our repugnance to death increases in proportion to our consciousness of having lived in vain.

Almost every sect of Christianity is a perversion of its essence, to accommodate it to the prejudices of the world.

Success in business is seldom owing to uncommon talents or original power which is untractable and self-willed, but to the greatest degree of commonplace capacity.

Great thoughts reduced to practice become great acts.

The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard.

A life of action and danger moderates the dread of death.