Epitaph: An inscription on a tomb showing that virtues acquired by death have a retroactive effect.

GENEROUS, adj. Originally this word meant noble by birth and was rightly applied to a great multitude of persons. It now means noble by nature and is taking a bit of a rest.

OBSERVATORY, n. A place where astronomers conjecture away the guesses of their predecessors.

OBLIVION, n. Cold storage for high hopes. A place where ambitious authors meet their works without pride and their betters without envy. A dormitory without an alarm clock.

SYLLOGISM, n. A logical formula consisting of a major and a minor assumption and an inconsequent.

Human nature is pretty well balanced; for every lacking virtue there is a rough substitute that will serve at a pinch--as cunning is the wisdom of the unwise, and ferocity the courage of the coward.

Truth - An ingenious compound of desirability and appearance.