So quiet and subtle is the beauty of December that escapes the notice of many people their whole lives through. Colour gives way to form: every branch distinct, in a delicate tracery against the sky. New vistas, obscured all Summer by leafage, now open up.

I do not compare the past with the present without a prejudice for either, but, great as the improvement in country life is in many respects, it seems a pity the old cheap, wholesome dishes have gone to make way for tinned and preserved foods.

Special qualities are required of the essayist. A poem or a novel may spring from the inner consciousness of an author. Reasoning poers must be brought to reinforce imagination.

happiness depends more upon the state of mind - and body, perhaps - than upon circumstances and events.

It was ordained that our earthly pilgrammage should be a struggle, and life would be a tame affair if everything went smoothly.

You can lock up from a thief, but you can't from a liar.

Alas! in nature, as in art, we gain only according to our capacity. You cannot put an ocean in a pint pot.