There is danger that we lose sight of what our friend is absolutely, while considering what she is to us alone.

I know of no redeeming qualities in myself but a sincere love for some things, and when I am reproved I fall back on to this ground.

Most men appear never to have considered what a house is, and are actually though needlessly poor all their lives because they think that they must have such a one as their neighbors have. ... Shall we always study to obtain more, and not sometimes be content with less?

Sobriety, severity, and self-respect are the foundations of all true sociality.

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

In some countries a hunting parson is no uncommon sight. Such a one might make a good shepherd's dog, but is far from being the Good Shepherd.

The echo is, to some extent, an original sound, and therein is the magic and charm of it. It is not merely a repetition of what was worth repeating in the bell, but partly the voice of the wood; the same trivial words and notes sung by a wood-nymph.