Charles Caleb Colton

None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them; such persons covet secrets as a spendthrift covets money, for the purpose of circulation.

"Defendit numerus," is the maxim of the foolish; "Deperdit numerus," of the wise. The fact is, that an honest man will continue to be so, though surrounded on all sides by rogues.

He that sympathizes in all the happiness of others, perhaps himself enjoys the safest happiness.

Times of general calamity and confusion, have ever been productive of the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace, and the brightest thunderbolt is elicited from the darkest storm.

No man can purchase his virtue too dear, for it is the only thing whose value must ever increase with the price it has cost us.

Men will wrangle for religion, write for it, fight for it, die for it; anything but live for it.

Instead of exhibiting talent in the hope that the world would forgive their eccentricities, they have exhibited only their eccentricities, in the hope that the world would give them credit for talent.

The first consideration with a knave, is how to help himself, and the second, how to do it, with an appearance of helping you. Dionysius the tyrant, stripped the statue of Jupiter Olympius, of a robe of massy gold, and substituted a cloak …

Cicero observed to a degenerate patrician, "I am the first of my family, but you are the last of yours" And since his time, those who value themselves merely on their ancestry, have been compared to potatoes, all that is good of them is …

Many a man may thank his talent for his rank, but no man has ever been able to return the compliment by thanking his rank for his talent.

From the preponderance of talent, we may always infer the soundness and vigour of the commonwealth; but from the preponderance of riches, its dotage and degeneration.

Great minds had rather deserve contemporaneous applause, without obtaining it, than obtain, without deserving it; if it follow them, it is well, but they will not deviate to follow it. With inferior minds the reverse is observable.

That writer does the most, who gives his reader the most knowledge, and takes from him the least time.

With books, as with companions, it is of more consequence to know which to avoid, than which to choose; for good books are as scarce as good companions.

A volume, therefore, that contains more words than ideas, like a tree that has more foliage than fruit, may suit those to resort to, who want not to feast, but to dream and to slumber.

That author, however, who has thought more than he has read, read more than he has written, and written more than he published, if he does not command success, has at least deserved it.

Style is indeed the valet of genius, and an able one too; but as the true gentleman will appear, even in rags, so true genius will shine, even through the coarsest style.

We should have a glorious conflagration, if all who cannot put fire into their works would only consent to put their works into the fire.

If we can advance any propositions that are both true and new, these are indisputably our own, by right of discovery; and if we can repeat what is old more briefly and brightly than others, this also becomes our own, by right of conquest.

Discretion has been termed the better part of valour, and it is more certain, that diffidence is the better part of knowledge.