Praise, like gold and diamonds, owes its value only to its scarcity.

The lust of gold succeeds the rage of conquest; The lust of gold, unfeeling and remorseless! The last corruption of degenerate man.

All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise or wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance; it is by this that the quarry becomes a pyramid, and that distant countries are united with canals.

Where there is no difficulty there is no praise

The longer we live the more we think and the higher the value we put on friendship and tenderness towards parents and friends.

All knowledge is of itself of some value. There is nothing so minute or inconsiderable that I would not rather know it than not.