Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.

The liar is no better than the thief, and if his mendacity takes the form of slander he may be worse than most thieves. It puts a premium upon knavery untruthfully to attack an honest man, or even with hysterical exaggeration to assail a bad man with untruth.

It wasn't until late in life that I discovered how easy it is to say "I don't know."

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness for the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in.

It cannot be your duty to do anything that is beyond your reach or your strength at the moment. It cannot be your duty to do anything that sacrifices your own integrity or your own spiritual development.

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.

No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.

If everyone were clothed with integrity, if every heart were just, frank, kindly, the other virtues would be well-nigh unless, since their chief purpose is to make us bear with patience the injustice of our fellows.

But what is happiness except for the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads.

The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.

The greatest kindness one can render to any man is leading him to truth.

The people turn to a benevolent rule as water flows downwards, and as wild beasts fly to the wilderness.

Let us resolve to be masters, not victims, of our history, controlling our own destiny without giving way to blind suspicions and emotions.

He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.