The art of living easily as to money is to pitch your scale of living one degree below your means.

Shy and proud men are more liable than any others to fall into the hands of parasites and creatures of low character. For in the intimacies which are formed by shy men, they do not choose, but are chosen.

Fear, indeed, is the mother of foresight.

Wisdom is corrupted by ambition, even when the quality of the ambition is intellectual. For ambition, even of this quality, is but a form of self-love.

He who gives only what he would as readily throw away, gives without generosity; for the essence of generosity is in self-sacrifice.

No siren did ever so charm the ear of the listener as the listening ear has charmed the soul of the siren.

Prodigality is indeed the vice of a weak nature, as avarice is of a strong one; it comes of a weak craving for those blandishments of the world which are easily to be had for money, and which, when obtained, are as much worse than worthless as a harlot's love is worse than none.