The courage of the truth is the first condition of philosophic study.

Poverty in itself does not make men into a rabble; a rabble is created only when there is joined to poverty a disposition of mind, an inner indignation against the rich, against society, against the government.

Truth in philosophy means that concept and external reality correspond.

Public opinion contains all kinds of falsity and truth, but it takes a great man to find the truth in it. The great man of the age is the one who can put into words the will of his age, tell his age what its will is, and accomplish it. What he does is the heart and the essence of his age, he actualizes his age. The man who lacks sense enough to despise public opinion expressed in gossip will never do anything great.

It is easier to discover a deficiency in individuals, in states, and in Providence, than to see their real import and value.

When liberty is mentioned, we must always be careful to observe whether it is not really the assertion of private interests which is thereby designated.