horses: dangerous on both ends and crafty in the middle

This looks like one of those unwelcome social summonses which call upon a man either to be bored or to lie.

I say, Watson,’ he whispered, ‘would you be afraid to sleep in the same room as a lunatic, a man with softening of the brain, an idiot whose mind has lost its grip?’ ‘Not in the least,’ I answered in astonishment. ‘Ah, that’s lucky,’ he said, and not another word would he utter that night.

We can't command our love, but we can our actions.

A dog reflects the family life. Whoever saw a frisky dog in a gloomy family, or a sad dog in a happy one? Snarling people have snarling dogs, dangerous people have dangerous ones.

The less experienced a doctor is, the higher are his notions of professional dignity . . .

Skill is fine, and genius is splendid, but the right contacts are more valuable than either.