A thorough-paced knave will rarely quarrel with one whom he can cheat: his revenge is plunder; therefore he is usually the most forgiving of beings, upon the principle that if he come to an open rupture, he must defend himself; and this does not suit a man whose vocation it is to keep his hands in the pocket of another.

It is with disease of the mind, as with those of the body; we are half dead before we understand our disorder, and half cured when we do.

Pedantry crams our heads with learned lumber and takes out our brains to make room for it.

It is not every man that can afford to wear a shabby coat.

Speaking generally, no man appears great to his contemporaries, for the same reason that no man is great to his servants--both know too much of him.

Mental pleasures never cloy; unlike those of the body, they are increased by reputation, approved by reflection, and strengthened by enjoyment.

Anger is practical awkwardness.