Many books require no thought from those who read them, and for a very simple reason; they made no such demand upon those who wrote them.

There are both dull correctness and piquant carelessness; it is needless to say which will command the most readers and have the most influence.

Living authors, therefore, are usually, bad companions. If they have not gained character, they seek to do so by methods often ridiculous, always disgusting; and if they have established a character, they are silent for fear of losing by their tongue what they have acquired by their pen--for many authors converse much more foolishly than Goldsmith, who have never written half so well.

Purity lives and derives its life solely from the Spirit of God.

The intoxication of anger, like that of the grape, shows us to others, but hides us from ourselves.

The avarice of the miser may be termed the grand sepulchral of all his other passions, as they successively decay.

Cheerfulness ought to be the viaticum vitae of their life to the old; age without cheerfulness is a Lapland winter without a sun.