“Though he should find it hard for a season even to keep the wolf—hunger—from his door, let him but once have chased the dragon—ignorance—from his hearth, and self-respect and hope are left him.”

Contrasting material hardship with the sustaining power of education · Speech, Manchester, 5 October 1843

• Hope
• Truth

“Just as a nation is happy whose records are barren, so is a society fortunate that has no history—and its president unfortunate.”

Finding humour in the idea that uneventful history can signal success · Speech, London, 9 May 1865

• Time
• Truth

“My faith in the people governing is, on the whole, infinitesimal; my faith in the People governed is, on the whole, illimitable.”

Contrasting distrust of rulers with confidence in ordinary people · Speech, Birmingham and Midland Institute, 27 September 1869

• Hope
• Truth