The soul of dispatch is decision.
Asleep, nobody is a hypocrite.
A knave thinks himself a fool, all the time he is not making a fool of some other person.
Violent antipathies are always suspicious, and betray a secret affinity.
A Whig is properly what is called a Trimmer – that is, a coward to both sides of the question, who dare not be a knave nor an honest man, but is a sort of whiffing, shuffling, cunning, silly, contemptible, unmeaning negation of the two.
Most of the methods for measuring the lapse of time have, I believe, been the contrivance of monks and religious recluses, who, finding time hang heavy on their hands, were at some pains to see how they got rid of it.
One truth discovered, one pang of regret at not being able to express it, is better than all the fluency and flippancy in the world.
To be wiser than other men is to be honester than they; and strength of mind is only courage to see and speak the truth.
In what we really understand, we reason but little.
The measure of any man’s virtue is what he would do, if he had neither the laws nor public opinion, nor even his own prejudices, to control him.
Books are a world in themselves, it is true; but they are not the only world. The world itself is a volume larger than all the libraries in it.
Men are in numberless instances qualified for certain things, for no other reason than because they are qualified for nothing else.
The secret of the difficulties of those people who make a great deal of money, and yet are always in want of it, is this-they throw it away as soon as they get it on the first whim or extravagance that strikes them, and have nothing left to meet ordinary expenses or discharge old debts.
Perhaps the best cure for the fear of death is to reflect that life has a beginning as well as an end.
Those who have the largest hearts have the soundest understandings; and they are the truest philosophers who can forget themselves.
Those only deserve a monument who do not need one.
He who would see old Hoghton right Must view it by the pale moonlight.
One of the pleasantest things in the world is going on a journey; but I like to go by myself.
He who draws upon his own resources easily comes to an end of his wealth.
It is better to desire than to enjoy, to love than to be loved.