He was so learned that he could name a horse in nine languages; so ignorant that he bought a cow to ride on.
A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one. Being ignorant is not so much a shame as being unwilling to learn.
Human Felicity is produced not so much by great Pieces of good Fortune that seldom happen, as by little Advantages that occur every Day.
Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography, 1771
That wise Men have in all Ages thought Government necessary for the Good of Mankind; and, that wise Governments have always thought Religion necessary for the well ordering and well-being of Society, and accordingly have been ever careful to encourage and protect the Ministers of it, paying them the highest publick Honours, that their Doctrines [...]
[E]very Man who comes among us, and takes up a piece of Land, becomes a Citizen, and by our Constitution has a Voice in Elections, and a share in the Government of the Country.
