Wisdom

He that attends to his interior self, That has a heart and keeps it, has a mind That hungers and supplies it; and who seeks A social, not a dissipated life.

To me an unambitious mind, content In the low vale of life, that early felt A wish to be a man, and knew the world.

This truth, philosophy, though eagle-eyed In nature's tendencies, oft overlooks; And, having found his own mind, in the rest disclaims it.

Some must be great. Great offices will have Great talents. And God gives to every man The virtue, temper, understanding, taste, That fits him for the place.

God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.

The law has been perverted through the influence of two very different causes - naked greed and misconceived philanthropy.

Being the third son of the family and not bred to any trade, my head began to be filled very early with rambling thoughts.

As to going home, shame opposed the best motions that offered to my thoughts, and it immediately occurred to me how I should be laughed at among the neighbours.

I frequently sat down to meat with thankfulness, and admired the hand of God's providence, which had thus spread my table in the wilderness.

I was very seldom idle, but having regularly divided my time according to the several daily employments that were before me, such as: first, my duty to God, and the reading the Scriptures.

In the midst of life we are in death.

The most galling of yokes is the tyranny of your next-door neighbor.

So few people who can write know anything.

Business is really pleasanter than pleasure, though it does not look so.

The reason why so few good books are written is that so few people that can write know anything.

The dignified parts of Government are those which bring it force - which attract its motive power.

The efficient parts only employ that power.

The efficient secret of the English constitution is the nearly complete fusion of the executive and legislative powers.

The Cabinet is an absolutely secret committee, which can dissolve the assembly which appointed it.

In brief, I am averse from nothing: my conscience would give me the lie if I should absolutely detest or hate any essence but the devil; or so at least abhor anything, but that we might come to composition.