But since he stood for England And knew what England means, Unless you give him bacon You must not give him beans.

Puritanism was an honourable mood; it was a noble fad. In other words, it was a highly creditable mistake.

The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do not say.

Any one thinking of the Holy Child as born in December would mean by it exactly what we mean by it; that Christ is not merely a summer sun of the prosperous but a winter fire for the unfortunate.

Children are grateful when Santa Claus puts in their stockings gifts of toys or sweets. Could I not be grateful to Santa Claus when he put in my stockings the gift of two miraculous legs? We thank people for birthday presents of cigars and slippers. Can I thank no one for the birthday present of birth?

The first fact about the celebration of a birthday is that it is a way of affirming defiantly, and even flamboyantly, that it is a good thing to be alive.

The cosmos is about the smallest hole that a man can hide his head in.