There is hardly any mental misery worse than that of having our own serious phrases, our own rooted beliefs, caricatured by a charlatan or a hireling.

It is pleasant to have a kind word now and then when one is not near enough to have a kind glance or a hearty shake by the hand.

It was not that she was out of temper, but that the world was not equal to the demands of her fine organism.

A man vows, and yet will not east away the means of breaking his vow. Is it that he distinctly means to break it? Not at all; but the desires which tend to break it are at work in him dimly, and make their way into his imagination, and relax his muscles in the very moments when he is telling himself over again the reasons for his vow.

We are contented with our day when we have been able to bear our grief in silence, and act as if we were not suffering.

What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?

How impossible it is for strong healthy people to understand the way in which bodily malaise and suffering eats at the root of one's life! The philosophy that is true - the religion that is strength to the healthy - is constantly emptiness to one when the head is distracted and every sensation is oppressive.