"Most men in power become villains."

"The like is not the friend of the like in as far as he is like; still the good may be the friend of the good in as far as he is good."

"To the rulers of the state then, if to any, it belongs of right to use falsehood, to deceive either enemies or their own citizens, for the good of the state: and no one else may meddle with this privilege.,."

"No one ever teaches well who wants to teach, or governs well who wants to govern."

"The true order of going, or being led by another, to the things of love, is to begin from the beauties of earth and mount upwards for the sake of that other beauty, using these steps only, and from one going on to two, and from two to all fair forms to fair practices, and from fair practices to fair notions, until from fair notions he arrives at the notion of absolute beauty, and, at last, knows what the essence of beauty is."

"No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth."

"Beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may."

"The only real ill-doing is the deprivation of knowledge."

"He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers it."

"There must always remain something that is antagonistic to good."

"Let him take heart who does advance, even in the smallest degree."

"In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means, education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these means, man can attain perfection."

"Is there anything worse for a state than to be split and disunited? or better than cohesion and unity?"

"Ideas are the source of all things."

"Let nobody speak mischief of anybody."

"I used to imagine that no human can make men good; but I know better now."

"Knowledge becomes evil if the aim be not virtuous."

"Love is of something, and that which love desires is not that which love is or has; for no man desires that which he is or has."

"The greatest wealth is to live content with little."

"Don't force your children into your ways, for they were created for a time different from your own."