Great men's honor ought always to be measured by the methods they made use of in attaining it.

What we take for high-mindedness is very often no other than ambition well disguised, that scorns means interests, only to pursuegreater.

The ambitious deceive themselves in proposing an end to their ambition; that end, when attained, becomes a means.

There are very few things impossible in themselves; and we do not want means to conquer difficulties so much as application and resolution in the use of means.

Few things are impossible in themselves: application to make them succeed fails us more often than the means.

We often select envenomed praise which, by a reaction upon those we praise, shows faults we could not have shown by other means.