William Ellery Channing

“The office of government is not to confer happiness, but to give men the opportunity to work out happiness for themselves.”

“Faith is love taking the form of aspiration.”

“A man is great not because he is rich, not because he is smart, but because he is a man.”

“Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.”

“Every human being is intended to have a character of his own, to be what no other is, and to do what no other can do.”

“The greatest man is he who chooses the right with invincible resolution.”

“The best books are those which make us think.”

“Nothing is so important to man as his own mind.”

“The world is governed by opinion.”

“It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds.”

“The first and most important happiness is the plain and quiet enjoyment of ourselves.”

“To be a leader of men, one must turn one's back on them.”

“Let our prayers, like the ancient sacrifices, ascend to God in flames of love.”

“Error is the discipline through which we advance.”

“No power in society, no hardship in your condition can depress you, keep you down, in knowledge, power, virtue, influence, but by your own consent.”