There is no sphere in which a human being can be supposed to act where one mode of reasoning will not, in every given instance, be more reasonable than any other mode. That mode the being is bound by every principle of justice to pursue.
The real or supposed rights of man are of two kinds, active and passive; the right in certain cases to do as we list; and the right we possess to the forbearance or assistance of other men. The first of these a just philosophy will probably induce us universally to explode.
A celebrated north country apostle, who, after Calvin had damned ninety-nine in a hundred of mankind, had contrived a scheme for damning ninety-nine in a hundred of the followers of Calvin.
Whenever truth stands in the mind unaccompanied by the evidence upon which it depends, it cannot properly be said to be apprehended at all.
Let us not, in the eagerness of our haste to educate, forget all the ends of education.
Our judgment will always suspect those weapons that can be used with equal prospect of success on both sides.
Everything understood by the term co-operation is in some sense an evil.
Every man has a certain sphere of discretion which he has a right to expect shall not be infringed by his neighbours. This right flows from the very nature of man.
Invisible things are the only realities; invisible things alone are the things that shall remain.
He that revels in a well-chosen library has inumerable dishes, and all of admirable flavor.
The subtleties of mathematics defecate the grossness of our apprehension, and supply the elements of a sounder and severer logic.
Of Belief Human mathematics, so to speak, like the length of life, are subject to the doctrine of chances.
Self-respect to be nourished in the mind of the pupil, is one of the most valuable results of a well conducted education.
Books gratify and excite our curiosity in innumerable ways.
Books are the depositary of everything that is most honourable to man.
My mind was bursting with depression and anguish. I muttered imprecations and murmuring as I passed along. I was full of loathing and abhorrence of life, and all that life carries in its train.
Government can have no more than two legitimate purposes – the suppression of injustice against individuals within the community, and the common defense against external invasion.
Make men wise, and by that very operation you make them free. Civil liberty follows as a consequence of this; no usurped power can stand against the artillery of opinion.
It is absurd to expect the inclinations and wishes of two human beings to coincide, through any long period of time. To oblige them to act and live together is to subject them to some inevitable potion of thwarting, bickering, and unhappiness.
Perseverance is an active principle, and cannot continue to operate but under the influence of desire.