Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, narrow–mindness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.

In Boston they ask, “How much does he know?” In New York, “How much is he worth?” In Philadelphia, “Who were his parents?”

There are two kinds of Christian morals, one private and the other public. These two are so distinct, so unrelated, that they are no more akin to each other than are archangels and politians.

Now and then we had hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates.

Loyalty to petrified opinions never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul in this world—and never will.

Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.

I cannot always be cheerful, and I cannot always be chaffing; I must sometimes lay the cap and bells aside, and recognize that I am of the human race like the rest, and must have my cares and griefs.

The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane.