Never do a wrong thing to make a friend – or to keep one.
I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself.
Lee assess a subordinate commander as “all lion; no fox.
In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.
The enemy never sees the backs of my Texans!
A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday does not know where it is today.
The consolidation of the states into one vast empire, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of ruin which has overwhelmed all that preceded it.
I like whiskey. I always did, and that is why I never drink it.
All that the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government as originally organized should be administered in purity and truth.
The education of a man is never completed until he dies.
True patriotism sometimes requires of men to act exactly contrary, at one period, to that which it does at another, and the motive which impels them the desire to do right is precisely the same.
Get correct views of life, and learn to see the world in its true light. It will enable you to live pleasantly, to do good, and, when summoned away, to leave without regret.
There is no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing before a man’s face and another behind his back.
I have fought against the people of the North because I believed they were seeking to wrest from the South dearest rights. But I have never cherished toward them bitter or vindictive feelings. And have never seen the day when I did not pray for them.
A Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me.
Sir, if you ever presume again to speak disrespectfully of General Grant in my presence, either you or I will sever his connection with this university.