It is a mistake, too, to say that the face is the mirror of the soul. The truth is, men are very hard to know, and yet, not to be deceived, we must judge them by their present actions, but for the present only.

If there is something to pardon in everything, there is also something to condemn.

What we do is never understood, but always merely praised or blamed.

Whoever has witnessed another's ideal becomes his inexorable judge and as it were his evil conscience.

Those who, in debate, appeal to their qualifications, argue from memory, not from understanding.

The lack of historical memory is a serious shortcoming in our society. A mentality that can only say, "Then was then, now is now", is ultimately immature. Knowing and judging past events is the only way to build a meaningful future. Memory is necessary for growth.