Compassion is not a popular virtue. Very often when I talk to religious people and mention how important it is that compassion is the key that it's the sine-qua-non of religion people look kind of balked and stubborn sometimes as much to say what's the point of having religion if you can't disapprove of other people?

There is a heroism in crime as well as in virtue. Vice and infamy have their altars and their religion.

Many have said of Alchemy that it is for the making of gold and silver. For me such is not the aim but to consider only what virtue and power may lie in medicines.

In the intellectual order the virtue of humility is nothing more nor less than the power of attention.

Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue no matter whether he be a prince or one of the people.

It is important to recognize and politics positive thinking is often the slaves' virtue - something that people do to con themselves about the burden and change being placed upon them.

I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

Poetry has the virtue of being able to say twice as much as prose in half the time and the drawback if you do not give it your full attention of seeming to say half as much in twice the time.

Teach you children poetry it opens the mind lends grace to wisdom and makes the heroic virtues hereditary.

It is the hour to be drunken! to escape being the martyred slaves of time be ceaselessly drunk. On wine on poetry or on virtue as you wish.