He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go further, and try to plant a virtue in its place.

Our admiration of fine writing will always be in proportion to its real difficulty and its apparent ease.

Injuries accompanied with insults are never forgiven: all men, on these occasions, are good haters, and lay out their revenge at compound interest.

He that has never known adversity is but half acquainted with others, or with himself.

Philosophers have widely differed as to the seat of the soul, and St. Paul has told us that out of the heart proceed murmurings; but there can be no doubt that the seat of perfect contentment is in the head, for every individual is thoroughly satisfied with his own proportion of brains.

All poets pretend to write for immortality, but the whole tribe have no objection to present pay and present praise.

All poets pretend to write for immortality, but the whole tribe have no objection to present pay, and present praise. Lord Burleigh is not the only statesman who has thought one hundred pounds too much for a song, though sung by Spenser; although Oliver Goldsmith is the only poet who ever considered himself to have been overpaid.