What will a child learn sooner than a song?

With too much quickness ever to be taught; With too much thinking to have common thought.

Truth needs not flowers of speech.

Trust not yourself, but your defects to know, make use of every friend and every foe.

In this commonplace world every one is said to be romantic who either admires a fine thing or does one.

Praise from a friend, or censure from a foe, Are lost on hearers that our merits know.

Truths would you teach, or save a sinking land? All fear, none aid you, and few understand.