“The power of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special efforts, but by his ordinary doing.”

“The brutes do not admire each other. A horse does not admire his companion. Not that there is no rivalry between them in a race, but that is of no consequence; for, when in the stable, the heaviest and most ill-formed does not give up his oats to another as men would have others do to them. Their virtue is satisfied with itself.”

“Since [man's] true nature has been lost, anything can become his nature: similarly, true good being lost, anything can become his true good.”

“I do not admire the excess of a virtue as of valour, except I see at the same time the excess of the opposite virtue, as in Epaminondas, who had the greatest valour and the greatest kindness. For otherwise it is not to rise, it is to fall. We do not display greatness by going to one extreme, but in touching both at once, and filling all the intervening space.”

“Pride counterbalances all these miseries; man either hides or displays them, and glories in his awareness of them.”

“When a soldier complains of his hard life (or a labourer, etc.) try giving him nothing to do.”

“It is dangerous to explain too clearly to man how like he is to the animals without pointing out his greatness. It is also dangerous to make too much of his greatness without his vileness. It is still more dangerous to leave him in ignorance of both, but it is most valuable to represent both to him.Man must not be allowed to believe that he is equal either to animals or to angels, nor to be unaware of either, but he must know both.”