The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
There will always be a part, and always a very large part of every community, that have no care but for themselves, and whose care for themselves reaches little further than impatience of immediate pain, and eagerness for the nearest good.
Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble.
A man may be so much of everything that he is nothing of anything.
Read over your compositions, and wherever you meet with a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out.
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Men are generally idle, and ready to satisfy themselves, and intimidate the industry of others, by calling that impossible which is only difficult.
Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it.
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.
Wine makes a man more pleased with himself; I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others.