Foolish writers and readers are created for each other.

A man of sense, though born without wit, often lives to have wit. His memory treasures up ideas and reflections; he compares themwith new occurrences, and strikes out new lights from the collision. The consequence is sometimes bons mots, and sometimes apothegms.

By deafness one gains in one respect more than one loses; one misses more nonsense than sense.

Our [British] summers are often, though beautiful for verdure, so cold, that they are rather cold winters.

The contempt of money is no more a virtue than to wash one's hand is one; but one does not willingly shake hands with a man that never washes his.

Shakespeare had no tutors but nature and genius. He caught his faults from the bad taste of his contemporaries. In an age still less civilized Shakespeare might have been wilder, but would not have been vulgar.

We often repent of our first thoughts, and scarce ever of our second.