“Good manners is the art of making people comfortable. Whoever makes the fewest people uncomfortable has the best manners.”

“My hours of leisure I spent in reading the best authors, ancient and modern, being always provided with a good number of books; and when I was ashore, in observing the manners and dispositions of the people, as well as learning their language; wherein I had a great facility, by the strength of my memory.”

“If a man makes me keep my distance, the comfort is, he keeps his at the same time.”

“Ingratitude is amongst them a capital crime, as we read it to have been in some other countries: for they reason thus; that whoever makes ill-returns to his benefactor, must needs be a common enemy to the rest of the mankind, from where he has received no obligations and therefore such man is not fit to live.”

“And he gave it for his opinion, "that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together.”

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”

“As blushing will sometimes make a whore pass for a virtuous woman, so modesty may make a fool seem a man of sense.”