Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle. In creating, the only hard thing is to begin: a grass blade's no easier to make than an oak. Democracy is the form of government that gives every man the right to be his own oppressor. Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happen. Compromise makes a good umbrella, but a poor roof; it is temporary expedient, often wise in party politics, almost sure to be unwise in statesmanship. | 
