There may be community of material possessions, but there can never be community of love or esteem.
The botanist looks upon the astronomer as a being unworthy of his regard; and he that is glowing great and happy by electrifying a bottle wonders how the world can be engaged by trifling prattle about war and peace.
The equity of Providence has balanced peculiar sufferings with peculiar enjoyments.
Contempt is a kind of gangrene which, if it seizes one part of a character, corrupts all the rest by degrees.
No man can fall into contempt but those who deserve it.
It is almost always the unhappiness of a victorious disputant to destroy his own authority by claiming too many consequences, or diffusing his proposition to an indefensible extent.
Every man has some favorite topic of conversation, on which, by a feigned seriousness of attention, he may be drawn to expatiate without end.
Unconstraint is the grace of conversation.
The coquette has companions, indeed, but no lovers, – for love is respectful and timorous; and where among her followers will she find a husband?
Sir, when you have seen one green field, you have seen all green fields. Let us walk down Cheapside.
Where necessity ends, desire and curiosity begin; and no sooner are we supplied with everything nature can demand than we sit down to contrive artificial appetites.
Cowardice encroaches fast upon such as spend their lives in company of persons higher than themselves.
Once a coxcomb, always a coxcomb.
Governors being accustomed to hear of more crimes than they can punish, and more wrongs than they can redress, set themselves at ease by indiscriminate negligence, and presently forget the request when they lose sight of the petitioner.
An infallible characteristic of meanness is cruelty.
Cunning differs from wisdom as twilight from open day.
Their origin is commonly unknown; for the practice often continues when the cause has ceased, and concerning superstitious ceremonies it is in vain to conjecture; for what reason did not dictate, reason cannot explain.
No man is defeated without some resentment which will be continued with obstinacy while he believes himself in the right, and asserted with bitterness, if even to his own conscience he is detected in the wrong.
The dependant who cultivates delicacy in himself very little consults his own tranquillity.
Every desire is a viper in the bosom, who while he was chill was harmless; but when warmth gave him strength, exerted it in poison.