The great cause of revolutions is this, that while nations move onward, constitutions stand still.

The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

To sum up the whole, we should say that the aim of the Platonic philosophy was to exalt man into a god.

It is possible to be below flattery as well as above it. One who trusts nobody will not trust sycophants. One who does not value real glory will not value its counterfeit.

Finesse is the best adaptation of means to circumstances.

People crushed by law have no hopes but from power. If laws are their enemies, they will be enemies to laws.

I would rather be poor in a cottage full of books than a king without the desire to read.

The Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators.

Ye diners out from whom we guard our spoons.

Nothing is so galling to a people not broken in from birth as a paternal, or, in other words, a meddling government, a government which tells them what to read, and say, and eat, and drink and wear.

Your Constitution is all sail and no anchor.

You can either be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure. It all depends on how you view your life.

A theory is like medicine (or government): often useless, sometimes necessary, always self-serving, and on occasion lethal. So it needs to be used with care, moderation and close adult supervision.

I contemplate the bones for a while then turn away. I have work to do. Next year I will have an odako that is bigger, grander, more beautiful than anyone has ever seen. Next year.

Blind zeal can only do harm.

As a former federal judge, I am cognizant of the legal issues. As governor, I am forced to deal with their ramifications.

The best parts about writing a show are [its] first, second and 10th anniversaries. Everything else is relative levels of hell.

Everything has a natural explanation. The moon is not a god but a great rock and the sun a hot rock.

I am still a socialist. I am a left-of-center politician. I believe that in Africa, if you see the poverty around us, you can't afford to be anything else.

Love in a hut, with water and a crust, Is - Love, forgive us! - cinders, ashes, dust.