What a wretched lot of old shrivelled creatures we shall be by-and-by. Never mind - the uglier we get in the eyes of others, the lovelier we shall be to each other; that has always been my firm faith about friendship.

Our passions do not live apart in locked chambers but dress in their small wardrobe of notions, bring their provisions to a common table and mess together, feeding out of the common store according to their appetite.

But, bless us, things may be lovable that are not altogether handsome, I hope?

Selfish— a judgment readily passed by those who have never tested their own power of sacrifice.

There are natures in which, if they love us, we are conscious of having a sort of baptism and consecration.

Family likeness has often a deep sadness in it. Nature, that great tragic dramatist, knits us together by bone and muscle, and divides us by the subtler web of our brains; blends yearning and repulsion; and ties us by our heart-strings to the beings that jar us at every movement.

The best travel is that which one can take by one's own fireside. In memory or imagination.