Character
28 quotes
“A good example is the best sermon.”
“A good conscience is a continual Christmas.”
“A perfect character might be attended with the inconvenience of being envied and hated; and that a benevolent man should allow a few faults in himself, to keep his friends in countenance.”
“A right heart exceeds all.”
“All the property that is necessary to a man for the conservation of the individual…is his natural right which none can justly deprive him of.”
“An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy.”
“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”
“Glass, china, and reputation, are easily crack’d, and never well mended.”
“It is his honesty that brought upon him the character of a heretic.”
“History will also afford frequent opportunities of showing the necessity of a public religion, from its usefulness to the public; the advantage of a religious character among private persons; the mischiefs of superstition, and the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern.”
“Nothing is more important for the public wealth than to form and train youth in wisdom and virtue. Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”
“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.”
“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”
“We may give advice, but we cannot give conduct.”
“The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity.”
“The proof of gold is fire.”
“There is much difference between imitating a good man and counterfeiting him.”
“There never was a good knife made of bad steel.”
“To be thrown upon one’s own resources is to be cast into the very lap of fortune; for our faculties then undergo a development and display an energy of which they were previously unsusceptible.”
“Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don’t have brains enough, to be honest.”
“Whoever feels pain in hearing a good character of his neighbor, will feel a pleasure in the reverse. And those who despair to rise in distinction by their virtues, are happy if others can be depressed to a level of themselves.”
“What you seem to be, be really.”
“Who is strong? He that can conquer his bad habits.”
“What more valuable than Gold? Diamonds. Than Diamonds? Virtue.”
“Wish not so much to live long as to live well.”
“On the whole, tho’ I never arrived at the Perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell short of it. Yet as I was, by the Endeavor, a better and a happier Man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it.”
“Hide not your Talents, they for Use were made. What’s a Sun-Dial in the shade!”
“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
Education
31 quotes
“An investment in knowledge pays the best dividends.”
“Average minds think and talk about things and actions.”
“Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.”
“Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.”
“Common sense is something that everyone needs, few have, and none think they lack.”
“Common sense without education is better than education without common sense.”
“Experience is the best teacher, but a fool will learn from no other.”
“Genius is the ability to hold one’s vision steady until it becomes reality.”
“Genius without education is like silver in the mine.”
“God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.”
“Great minds think and talk about ideas.”
“He who would trade liberty for some temporary security deserves neither liberty nor security.”
“How do you become better tomorrow? By improving yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid of standing still. Forget your mistakes, but remember what they taught you. So how do you become better tomorrow? By becoming better today.”
“I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion about the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.”
“If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”
“If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”
“If you do tomorrow what you did today, you will get tomorrow what you got today.”
“Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.”
“It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”
“Little minds think and talk about people.”
“Make yourself sheep and the wolves will eat you.”
“Take the money in your wallet and invest it in your mind. And in return, your mind will fill up your wallet!”
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”
“The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.”
“To find out a girl’s faults, praise her to her girlfriends.”
“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.”
“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
“When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”
“Where liberty dwells, there is my country.”
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech, a thing terrible to traitors.”
“Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech; which is the right of every man as far as by it he does not hurt or control the right of another; and this is the only check it ought to suffer and the only bounds it ought to know.”
Happiness
28 quotes
“Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.”
“A cheerful face is nearly as good for an invalid as healthy weather.”
“Be in general virtuous, and you will be happy.”
“By heaven we understand a state of happiness infinite in degree, and endless in duration.”
“Contentment makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.”
“Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.”
“Keep in the sunlight. Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.”
“Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen.”
“I was surprised to find myself so much fuller of Faults than I had imagined, but I had the Satisfaction of seeing them diminish.”
“If you teach a poor young man to shave himself, and keep his razor in order, you may contribute more to the happiness of his life than in giving him a thousand guineas.”
“If you would not be laughed at, be the first to laugh at yourself.”
“If you wouldn’t live long, live well; for folly and wickedness shorten life.”
“In order to be happy you need a good dog, a good woman, and ready money.”
“It is much easier to suppress a first desire than to satisfy those that follow.”
“Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.”
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
“The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”
“Most men die from the neck up at age twenty-five because they stop dreaming.”
“On the whole, though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavor, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been had I not attempted it.”
“A true friend is the best possession.”
“The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
“There are two ways of being happy: We must either diminish our wants or augment our means — either may do — the result is the same and it is for each man to decide for himself and to do that which happens to be easier.”
“There are two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations.”
“We are not so sensible of the greatest Health as of the least Sickness.”
“What is without us has no connection with happiness, only so far as the preservation of our lives and health depends upon it.…Happiness springs immediately from the mind.”
“The best of all medicines is resting and fasting.”
“Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life.”
Hard Work
18 quotes
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
“Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to gain leisure.”
“God helps those who help themselves.”
“Haste makes waste.”
“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”
“Lost time is never found again.”
“Motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes.”
“No gains without pains.”
“Success is the residue of planning.”
“The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you’re finished.”
“To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.”
“Doing your best means never stop trying.”
“I never knew a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else.”
“Repeal that [welfare] law, and you will soon see a change in their manners.…Six days shalt thou labor, though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a respectable precept; industry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more will be done for their happiness by inuring them to provide for themselves than could be done by dividing all your estates among them.”
“In my youth, I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”
Humor
9 quotes
“Better slip with foot than tongue.”
“The worst wheel of the cart makes the most noise.”
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
“Fish and visitors stink in three days.”
“Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.”
“Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.”
“He that lies down with dogs, shall rise up with fleas.”
“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
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Liberty
21 quotes
“God grant that not only the love of liberty but a thorough knowledge of the rights of man may pervade all the nations of the earth, so that a philosopher may set his foot anywhere on its surface and say: This is my country.”
“Every man…is, of common right, and by the laws of God, a freeman, and entitled to the free enjoyment of liberty.”
“Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins. Republics…derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates.”
“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”
“From a persuasion that equal liberty was originally the portion, it is still the birthright of all men.”
“Frequent recurrence to fundamental principles…[is] absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty and keep a government free.”
“Ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation to the prejudice and oppression of another is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy…An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy.”
“Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”
“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes!”
“Our cause is the cause of all mankind…we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own.”
“Security without liberty is called prison.”
“This [the U.S. Constitution] is likely to be administered for a course of years and then end in despotism…when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other.”
“The more the people are discontented with the oppression of taxes, the greater the need the prince has of money to distribute among his partisans and pay the troops that are to suppress all resistance and enable him to plunder at pleasure.”
“Sell not…liberty to purchase power.”
“Those who beat their swords into plowshares usually end up plowing for those who kept their swords.”
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
“Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech.”
“He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.”
“There never was a good war or a bad peace.”
“The noblest question in the world is: ‘What good may I do in it?’”
“War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself.”
Wisdom
38 quotes
“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.”
“He that can have patience can have what he will.”
“A penny saved is a penny earned.”
“And now I speak of thanking God, I desire with all humility to acknowledge that I owe the mentioned happiness of my past life to His kind providence, which lead me to the means I used and gave them success.”
“Blame-all and Praise-all are two blockheads.”
“Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.”
“Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.”
“At the working man’s house hunger looks in but dares not enter.”
“A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.”
“He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows or judge all he sees.”
“Have you something to do tomorrow? Do it today.”
“He that lives upon hope will die fasting.”
“Having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred, to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far through life with a considerable share of felicity, the conducing means I made use of, which with the blessing of God so well succeeded, my posterity may like to know, as they may find some of them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated.”
“Speak little, do much.”
“He who has never failed somewhere, that man cannot be great.”
“Honesty is the best policy.”
“It’s easy to see, hard to foresee.”
“Look before, or you’ll find yourself behind.”
“Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.”
“Many people die at twenty-five and aren’t buried until they are seventy-five.”
“Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”
“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.”
“Pardoning the bad, is injuring the good.”
“Who is wise? He that learns from everyone. Who is powerful? He that governs his passions. Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.”
“The doors of wisdom are never shut.”
“Search others for their virtues, thy self for thy vices.”
“There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know oneself.”
“We must all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
“Well done is better than well said.”
“Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.”
“Don’t throw stones at your neighbors if your own windows are glass.”
“When in doubt, don’t.”
“You may delay, but time will not.”
“I hope…that all mankind will at length…have reason and sense enough to settle their differences without cutting throats.”
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
“It is better to take many injuries than to give one.”
“When you’re good to others, you’re best to yourself.”
“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”
Family
9 quotes
“My family is my life, and everything else comes second as far as what’s important to me.”
“The memories we make with our family are everything.”
“Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home.”
“Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them out and enjoy their riches.”
“He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too.”
“Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.”
“Families ought to be noisy.”
“Women are books, and men the readers be.”
“And as to the Cares, they are chiefly what attend the bringing up of Children; and I would ask any Man who has experienced it, if they are not the most delightful Cares in the World; and if from that Particular alone, he does not find the Bliss of a double State much greater, instead of being less than he expected.”
Spirituality
11 quotes
“When you’re down to nothing, God is up to something. The faithful see the invisible, believe the incredible, and then receive the impossible.”
“Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.”
“How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts!”
“I believe in one God, creator of the Universe. That he governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable Service we render to him is doing good to his other Children…Vital religion has always suffered when orthodoxy is more regarded than virtue.”
“If we look back in history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find a few that have not in their turns been persecutors and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish Church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. They found it wrong in Bishops, but fell into the practice themselves both there (England) and New England.”
“I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that “except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel.”
“Lighthouses are more helpful than churches.”
“The way to see by Faith is to shut the Eye of Reason.”
“When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, ‘tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.”
“Death takes no bribes.”
“The rapid progress of the sciences makes me, at times, sorry that I was born so soon. Imagine the power that man will have over matter a few hundred years from now. We may learn how to remove gravity from large masses and float them over great distances, agriculture will double its produce with less labor, all diseases will surely be cured, even old age. If only the moral sciences could be improved as well. Perhaps men would cease to be wolves to one another and human beings could learn to be…human.”
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