“Success has a great tendency to conceal and throw a veil over the evil deeds of men.”

A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.

There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots – suspicion.

Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.

As a vessel is known by the sound, whether it be cracked or not; so men are proved, by their speeches, whether they be wise or foolish.

You cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man’s actions are, such must be his spirit.

Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.

The readiest and surest way to get rid of censure, is to correct ourselves.

The more able a man is, if he make ill use of his abilities, the more dangerous will he be to the commonwealth.

To remind a man of the good turns you have done him is very much like a reproach.

The best protection for the people is not necessarily to believe everything people tell them.

What a man wishes, he will believe.

Whatever shall be to the advantage of all, may that prevail!

There is a great deal of wishful thinking in such cases it is the easiest thing of all to deceive ones self.

Every advantage in the past is judged in the light of the final issue.

Small opportunities often presage great enterprises.

One believes in what one wants to believe in.

I am suspicious – first of all, in myself – of adopted mysticisms of glib spirituality, above all of white people’s tendency to … vampirize American Indian, or African, or Asian, or other ‘exotic’ ways of understanding.

There has always been a tendency – race notwithstanding.

A cold atheistical materialism is the tendency of the so-called material philosophy of the present day.

Humans have a tendency to want to reciprocate, so the more you show you’re looking out for someone

Al its commands, exhortations, and promises having the most direct tendency to make men wise, holy, and happy in themselves, and useful to one another.

I have a tendency get a little worked up. So I was interested in learning more about the complicated conflict and decided I would lend some of my time and energy to do so.

They both have a tendency to blur the lines of what we call norms, or established reality.

There is a tendency by a lot of officials to hide behind the king. And it’s about time that officials take their responsibility and are responsible in front of the people.