“A man's first care should be to avoid the reproaches of his own heart, and his next to escape the censures of the world
“We are not won by arguments that we can analyze, but by tone and temper; by the manner, which is the man himself
“What makes saintliness in my view, as distinguished from ordinary goodness, is a certain quality of magnanimity and greatness of soul that brings life within the circle of the heroic
“To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization
“It is a great misfortune not to possess sufficient wit to speak well, nor sufficient judgment to keep silent
“I shall argue that strong men, conversely, know when to compromise and that all principles can be compromised to serve a greater principle
“All that a man does outwardly is but the expression and completion of his inward thought. To work effectively, he must think clearly; to act nobly, he must think nobly
“Gullibility is the key to all adventures. The greenhorn is the ultimate victor in everything; it is he who get the most out of life
“A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives - of approving of some and disapproving of others
“We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities... still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.
“Who would wish to be among the commonplace crowd of the little famous - who are each individually lost in a throng made up of themselves?
“Negative capability, that is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.
“Morality is a venereal disease. Its primary stage is called virtue; its secondary stage, boredom; its tertiary stage, syphilis
“Every man has his moral backside which he refrains from showing unless he has to and keeps covered as long as possible with the trousers of decorum
“Good nature is worth more than knowledge, more than money, more than honor, to the persons who possess it.