When struck by a thunderbolt it is unnecessary to consult the Book of Dates as to the precise meaning of the omen.

The province of philosophy is not so much to prevent calamities befalling as to demonstrate that they are blessings when they have taken place.

Alas! It is well written, The road to eminence lies through the cheap and exceedingly uninviting eating-houses.

He who thinks he is raising a mound may only in Reality be digging a pit.

There are those who collect the refuse of the public streets, but in order to be received into the band it is necessary to have been born one of the Hereditary Confederacy of Superfluity Removers and Abandoned Oddment Gatherers.

How is it possible to suspend topaz in one cup of the balance and weigh it against amethyst in the other; or who in a single language can compare the tranquillizing grace of a maiden with the invigorating pleasure of witnessing a well-contested rat-fight?

A reputation for a thousand years may depend upon the conduct of a single moment.