"I am not a believer in the doctrine of original sin."

"Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."

"I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time."

"I have always been of the opinion that the best way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

"He was a man of a ponderous and solemn aspect; a man who might have been a bishop, or a judge, or a prime minister, or anything else that was grave and dignified."