An efficient and valuable man does what he can, whether the community pay him for it or not.

We cannot well do without our sins; they are the highway of our virtue.

The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest.

The Oriental philosophy approaches easily loftier themes than the modern aspires to; and no wonder if it sometimes prattle about them. It only assigns their due rank respectively to Action and Contemplation, or rather does full justice to the latter. Western philosophers have not conceived of the significance of Contemplation in their sense.

It is very rare that you meet with obstacles in this world, which the humblest man has not faculties to surmount.

Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigor and freedom of the forest and the outlaw.

The only fruit which even much living yields seems to be often only some trivial success,--the ability to do some slight thing better. We make conquest only of husks and shells for the most part,--at least apparently,--but sometimes these are cinnamon and spices, you know.