“... when I see kings lying by those who deposed them,... or holy men that divided the world with their contests and disputes, I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the little competitions, factions, and debates of mankind.”

“Animals, in their generation, are wiser than the sons of men; but their wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a very narrow compass.”

“A man should always consider how much he has more than he wants.”

“What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul.”

“The greatest sweetener of human life is Friendship. To raise this to the highest pitch of enjoyment, is a secret which but few discover.”

“Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination, because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise, gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed.”

“I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.”

“To be an atheist requires an indefinitely greater measure of faith than to recieve all the great truths which atheism would deny.”

“I will indulge my sorrows, and give way to all the pangs and fury of despair.”

“A cloudy day or a little sunshine have as great an influence on many constitutions as the most recent blessings or misfortunes.”

“Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it courage which arises from a sense of duty acts in a uniform manner. ”