Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.

Beauty, whether moral or natural, is felt, more properly than perceived.

Accuracy is, in every case, advantageous to beauty, and just reasoning to delicate sentiment. In vain would we exalt the one by depreciating the other.

A propensity to hope and joy is real riches; one to fear and sorrow real poverty.

There is not to be found, in all history, any miracle attested by a sufficient number of men, of such unquestioned good sense, education and learning, as to secure us against all delusion in themselves.

Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous.

The Christian religion not only was at first attended with miracles, but even at this day cannot be believed by any reasonable person without one.

A man acquainted with history may, in some respect, be said to have lived from the beginning of the world, and to have been making continual additions to his stock of knowledge in every century.

Nothing endears so much a friend as sorrow for his death. The pleasure of his company has not so powerful an influence.

Human Nature is the only science of man; and yet has been hitherto the most neglected.

Heaven and hell suppose two distinct species of men, the good and the bad. But the greatest part of mankind float betwixt vice and virtue.

Scholastic learning and polemical divinity retarded the growth of all true knowledge.

The heights of popularity and patriotism are still the beaten road to power and tyranny.

Men often act knowingly against their interest.

Truth springs from argument amongst friends.

Any person seasoned with a just sense of the imperfections of natural reason, will fly to revealed truth with the greatest avidity.

Belief is nothing but a more vivid, lively, forcible, firm, steady conception of an object, than what the imagination alone is ever able to attain.

This avidity alone, of acquiring goods and possessions for ourselves and our nearest friends, is insatiable, perpetual, universal, and directly destructive of society.

A purpose, an intention, a design, strikes everywhere even the careless, the most stupid thinker.