Be thou the first true merit ...

Be thou the first true merit to befriend, his praise is lost who stays till all commend.
Be thou the first true merit to befriend, his praise is lost who stays till all commend.

More phrases

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.
 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err.
The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.
 Thích Nhất Hạnh
Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom - and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.

Quotes from the same author

Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Never find fault with the absent.
Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.
By music minds an equal temper know, Nor swell too high, nor sink too low. . . . . Warriors she fires with animated sounds. Pours balm into the bleeding lover's wounds.
Pours balm into the bleeding lover's wounds.