Heaven trims our lamps while we sleep.

Education may work wonders as well in warping the genius of individuals as in seconding it.

Inspiration must find answering inspiration.

Nature is the armory of genius. Cities serve it poorly, books and colleges at second hand; the eye craves the spectacle of the horizon; of mountain, ocean, river and plain, the clouds and stars; actual contact with the elements, sympathy with the seasons as they rise and roll.

While one finds company in himself and his pursuits, he cannot feel old, no matter what his years may be.

Time ripens the substance of a life as the seasons mellow and perfect its fruits. The best apples fall latest and keep longest.

There is virtue in country houses, in gardens and orchards, in fields, streams and groves, in rustic recreations and plain manners, that neither cities nor universities enjoy.