Examples are few of men ruined by giving.

The life even of a just man is a round of petty frauds; that of a knave a series of greater. We degrade life by our follies and vices, and then complain that the unhappiness which is only their accompaniment is inherent in the constitution of things.

Pride is like the beautiful acacia, that lifts its head proudly above its neighbor plants-forgetting that it too, like them, has its roots in the dirt.

The body of a sensualist is the coffin of a dead soul.

Formerly when great fortunes were only made in war, war was a business; but now, when great fortunes are only made by business, business is war.

I once asked a distinguished artist what place he gave to labor in art. "Labor," he in effect said, "is the beginning, the middle, and the end of art." Turning then to another--"And you," I inquired, "what do you consider as the great force in art?" "Love," he replied. In their two answers I found but one truth.

The best evidence of merit is a cordial recognition of it whenever and wherever it may be found.