The beginning is always today.
I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.
My own sex, I hope, will excuse me, if I treat them like rational creatures, instead of flattering their fascinating graces, and viewing them as if they were in a state of perpetual childhood, unable to stand alone.
If we revert to history, we shall find that the women who have distinguished themselves have neither been the most beautiful nor the most gentle of their sex.
Taught from their infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison.
No man chooses evil because it is evil; he just mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.
Friendship is a serious affection; the most sublime of all affections, because it is founded on principle, and cemented by time.
Simplicity and sincerity generally go hand in hand, as both proceed from a love of truth.
Surely something resides in this heart that is not perishable - and life is more than a dream.
My dreams were all my own; I accounted for them to nobody; they were my refuge when annoyed - my dearest pleasure when free.
Friendship and domestic happiness are continually praised; yet how little is there of either in the world, because it requires more cultivation of mind to keep awake affection, even in our own hearts, than the common run of people suppose.