There never was and is not likely soon to be a nation of philosophers, nor am I certain it is desirable that there should be.

If I have unjustly wrested a plank from a drowning man, I must restore it to him though I drown myself.

The chickadee and nuthatch are more inspiring society than statesmen and philosophers, and we shall return to these last as to more vulgar companions.

The wisest man preaches no doctrines; he has no scheme; he sees no rafter, not even a cobweb, against the heavens. It is clear sky.

The nonchalance and dolce-far-niente air of nature and society hint at infinite periods in the progress of mankind.

A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind.

Unless we do more than simply learn the trade of our time, we are but apprentices, and not yet masters of the art of life.