We are amphibious creatures, weaponed for two elements, having two sets of faculties, the particular and the catholic.
The life of man is a self-evolving circle, which, from a ring imperceptibly small, rushes on all sides outwards to new and largercircles, and that without end.
Life is unnecessarily long. Moments of insight, of fine personal relation, a smile, a glance, – what ample borrowers of eternity they are!
The whole value of the dime is in knowing what to do with it.
Wild liberty develops iron conscience. Want of liberty, by strengthening law and decorum, stupefies conscience.
The counting-room maxims liberally expounded are laws of the Universe. The merchant’s economy is a coarse symbol of the soul’s economy. It is, to spend for power, and not for pleasure.
If any mention was made of homicide, madness, adultery, and intolerable tortures, we would let the church-bells ring louder, the church-organ swell its peal and drown the hideous sound. The sugar they raised was excellent: nobody tasted blood in it.
America is not civil, whilst Africa is barbarous.
The subject is said to have the property of making dull men eloquent.
Give the slave the least elevation of religious sentiment, and he is not slave: you are the slave: he not only in his humility feels his superiority, feels that much deplored condition of his to be a fading trifle, but he makes you feel it too. He is the master.
It is not what talents or genius a man has, but how he is to his talents, that constitutes friendship and character. The man thatstands by himself, the universe stands by him also.
A man must thank his defects, and stand in some terror of his talents. A transcendent talent draws so largely on his forces as tolame him; a defect pays him revenues on the other side.
Open the doors of opportunity to talent and virtue and they will do themselves justice, and property will not be in bad hands.
The uses of travel are occasional, and short; but the best fruit it finds, when it finds it, is conversation; and this is a main function of life.
For the most part, only the light characters travel. Who are you that have no task to keep you at home?
Everything good is on the highway.
It is for want of self-culture that the superstition of Travelling, whose idols are Italy, England, Egypt, retains its fascinationfor all educated Americans.
Do not require a description of the countries towards which you sail. The description does not describe them to you, and to- morrow you arrive there, and know them by inhabiting them.
I am always insincere, as always knowing there are other moods.
If we could have any security against moods! If the profoundest prophet could be holden to his words, and the hearer who is readyto sell all and join the crusade, could have any certificate that to-morrow his prophet shall not unsay his testimony!