“If we hope for what we are not likely to possess, we act and think in vain, and make life a greater dream and shadow than it really is.”

Our disputants put me in mind of the cuttlefish that, when he is unable to extricate himself, blackens the water about him till he becomes invisible.

I Have often thought if the minds of men were laid open, we should see but little difference between that of the wise man and that of the fool.

How is it possible for those who are men of honor in their persons, thus to become notorious liars in their party

Hunting is not a proper employment for a thinking man.

Talking with a friend is nothing else but thinking aloud.

Women were formed to temper Mankind, and sooth them into Tenderness and Compassion; not to set an Edge upon their Minds, and blowup in them those Passions which are too apt to rise of their own Accord.

The transition from cause to effect, from event to event, is often carried on by secret steps, which our foresight cannot divine, and our sagacity is unable to trace.

Jesters do often prove prophets.

It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are the more gentle and quiet we become towards the defects of others.

There is nothing which strengthens faith more than the observance of morality.

Love, anger, pride and avarice all visibly move in those little orbs.

The greatest sweetener of human life is Friendship. To raise this to the highest pitch of enjoyment, is a secret which but few discover.

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

Jealousy is that pain which a man feels from the apprehension that he is not equally beloved by the person whom he entirely loves.

If men of eminence are exposed to censure on one hand, they are as much liable to flattery on the other. If they receive reproaches which are not due to them, they likewise receive praises which they do not deserve.

True benevolence or compassion, extends itself through the whole of existence and sympathizes with the distress of every creature capable of sensation.

It’s as though either you accept [religious] doctrine and then you can have all the nice stuff, or you reject the doctrine and you’re living in some kind of spiritual wasteland under the guidance of CNN and Walmart.

Every time we feel satisfied with what we have, we can be counted as rich, however little we may actually possess.

A highly learned man has two sources of happiness: either he abandons all earthly interests, or else he possesses much which could be abandoned.

This is your court and you possess the force to celebrate the trial and convict me on the basis of your lists of accusations.

But I too possess a will obtained from the justice of our cause and the determination of our people to reject any decision from this ‘kangaroo court’.

Awareness isn’t something we own; awareness isn’t something we possess. Awareness is actually what we are.

No rural community, no suburban community, can ever possess the distinctive qualities that city dwellers have for centuries given to the world.

It is important to possess a short-term pessimism and a long-term optimism.