"War kills men, and men deplore the loss; but war also crushes bad principles and tyrants, and so saves societies."

"Human foresight often leaves its proudest possessor only a choice of evils."

"To write what is worth publishing, to find honest people to publish it, and get sensible people to read it, are the three great difficulties in being an author."

"Law and equity are two things which God has joined, but which man has put asunder."

"Happiness that grand mistress of the ceremonies in the dance of life impels us through all its mazes and meanderings but leads none of us by the same route."

"He that will not permit his wealth to do any good for others ... cuts himself off from the truest pleasure here and the highest happiness later."

"Knowledge is two-fold, and consists not only in an affirmation of what is true, but in the negation of that which is false."

"There is this difference between happiness and wisdom: he that thinks himself the happiest man, really is so; but he that thinks himself the wisest, is generally the greatest fool."

"Many speak the truth when they say that they despise riches, but they mean the riches possessed by others."

"When millions applaud you seriously ask yourself what harm you have done; and when they disapprove you, what good."

"When you have nothing to say, say nothing."

"The excess of our youth are checks written against our age and they are payable with interest thirty years later."

"That writer does the most who gives his reader the most knowledge and takes from him the least time."

"It is better to meet danger than to wait for it. He that is on a lee shore, and foresees a hurricane, stands out to sea and encounters a storm to avoid a shipwreck."

"Did universal charity prevail, earth would be a heaven, and hell a fable."

"Pedantry crams our heads with learned lumber and takes out brains to make room for it."

"There is nothing more imprudent than excessive prudence."

"Suicide sometimes proceeds from cowardice, but not always; for cowardice sometimes prevents it; since as many live because they are afraid to die, as die because they are afraid to live."

"None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them."

"Wealth after all is a relative thing since he that has little and wants less is richer than he that has much and wants more."

"Applause is the spur of noble minds the end and aim of weak ones."

"Wealth ... is a relative thing since he that has little and wants less is richer than he that has much but wants more."

"Men will wrangle for religion write for it fight for it die for it anything but live for it."

"Bigotry murders religion to frighten fools with her ghost."

"There are two way of establishing a reputation, one to be praised by honest people and the other to be accused by rogues. It is best, however, to secure the first one, because it will always be accompanied by the latter."