Children demand that their heroes should be freckle less, and easily believe them so: perhaps a first discovery to the contrary is less revolutionary shock to a passionate child than the threatened downfall of habitual beliefs which makes the world seem to totter for us in maturer life.

Can anything be more disgusting than to hear people called 'educated' making small jokes about eating ham, and showing themselves empty of any real knowledge as to the relation of their own social and religious life to the history of the people they think themselves witty in insulting? [...] The best thing that can be said of it is, that it is a sign of the intellectual narrowness—in plain English, the stupidity which is still the average mark of our culture.

There's folks as make bad butter and trusten to the salt t' hide it.

... indefinite visions of ambition are weak against the ease of doing what is habitual or beguilingly agreeable.

Hobbies are apt to run away with us, you know; it doesn't do to be run away with. We must keep the reins.

Death is the only physician, the shadow of his valley the only journeying that will cure us of age and the gathering fatigue of years.

No great deed is done by falterers who ask for certainty.