The essence of all immorality, of sin, is the making self the centre to which we subordinate all other beings and interests. J. C. Sharp.
The essence of all religion that was, and that will be, is to make men free. Carlyle.
The essence of all vulgarity lies in want of 35 sensation. Ruskin.
The essence of an aristocracy is to transfer the source of honour from the living to the dead, to make the merits of living men depend not so much upon their own character and actions as upon the actions and position of their ancestors. H. Lecky.
The essence of aphorism is the compression of a mass of thought and observation into a single saying. John Morley.
The essence of faith lies in this, a deep sense and conviction that in what we do, though it were single-handed, with all men standing aloof, and even saying nay to it, we have God and all his universe at our back. Ed.
The essence of friendship is entireness, a total magnanimity and trust. Emerson.
The essence of greatness is the perception 40 that virtue is enough. Poverty is its ornament. It does not need plenty, and can very well abide its loss. Emerson.
The essence of humour is sensibility, warm, tender, fellow-feeling with all forms of existence; and unless seasoned and purified by humour, sensibility is apt to run wild, will readily corrupt into disease, falsehood, or, in one word, sentimentality. Carlyle.
The essence of justice is mercy. (?)