There is a secret pride in every human heart that revolts at tyranny. You may order and drive an individual, but you cannot make him respect you.

A certain excess of animal spirits with thoughtless good-humor will often make more enemies than the most deliberate spite and ill-nature, which is on its guard, and strikes with caution and safety.

Perhaps propriety is as near a word as any to denote the manners of the gentleman; elegance is necessary to the fine gentleman; dignity is proper to noblemen; and majesty to kings.

Grace is the absence of everything that indicates pain or difficulty, hesitation or incongruity.

Let a man's talents or virtues be what they may, he will only feel satisfaction in his society as he is satisfied in himself.

Mankind are so ready to bestow their admiration on the dead, because the latter do not hear it, or because it gives no pleasure to the objects of it. Even fame is the offspring of envy.

The severest critics are always those who have either never attempted, or who have failed in original composition.