The distinguishing trait of people accustomed to good society is a calm, imperturbable quiet which pervades all their actions and habits, from the greatest to the least. They eat in quiet, move in quiet, live in quiet, and lose their wife, or even their money, in quiet; while low persons cannot take up either a spoon or an affront without making such an amazing noise about it.

Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies.

The brave man wants no charms to encourage him to his duty, and the good man scorns all warnings that would deter him from fulfilling it.

Each man forms his duty according to his predominant characteristic; the stern require an avenging judge; the gentle, a forgiving father. Just so the pygmies declared that Jove himself was a pygmy.

Power is so characteristically calm, that calmness in itself has the aspect of strength.

Books are but waste paper unless we spend in action the wisdom we get from thought.

If you are in doubt whether to write a letter or not, don't. And the advice applies to many doubts in life besides that of letter writing.