Silence, the great Empire of Silence: higher than all stars; deeper than the Kingdom of Death! It alone is great; all else is small.
The great silent man! Looking round on the noisy inanity of the world, – words with little meaning, actions with little worth, – one loves to reflect on the great Empire of Silence.
The nobleness of silence. The highest melody dwells only in silence, – the sphere melody, the melody of health.
A very sea of thought; neither calm nor clear, if you will, yet wherein the toughest pearl-diver may dive to his utmost depth, and return not only with sea-wreck but with true orients.
Thought will not work except in silence.
O Time! Time! how it brings forth and devours! And the roaring flood of existence rushes on forever similar, forever changing!
The modern majesty consists in work. What a man can do is his greatest ornament, and he always consults his dignity by doing it.
The world is a thing that a man must learn to despise, and even to neglect, before he can learn to reverence it, and work in it and for it.
The sincere alone can recognize sincerity.
The aristocracy of feudal parchment has passed away with a mighty rushing, and now, by a natural course, we arrive at aristocracy of the money-bag.
What I loved in the man was his health, his unity with himself; all people and all things seemed to find their quite peaceable adjustment with him, not a proud domineering one, as after doubtful contest, but a spontaneous-looking peaceable, even humble one.
That monstrous tuberosity of civilised life, the capital of England.
The Persians are called the French of the East; we will call the Arabs Oriental Italians. A gifted noble people; a people of wildstrong feelings, and of iron restraint over these: the characteristic of noblemindedness, of genius.
Democracy means despair of finding any heroes to govern you, and contented putting up with the want of them.
How great a Possibility, how small a realized Result.
Macaulay is well for awhile, but one wouldn’t live under Niagara.
Man is a tool-using animal.
We arc the miracle of miracles, the great inscrutable mystery of God.
All work of man is as the swimmer’s: a vast ocean threatens to devour him; if he front it not bravely, it will keep its word.
All reform except a moral one will prove unavailing.