Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery element were made for wise men to contemplate, and fools to pass by without consideration.

Those little nimble musicians of the air, that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art.

Angling may be said to be so like the Mathematics that it can never be fully learnt; at least not so fully but that there will still be more new experiments left for the trial of other men that succeed us.

No life is so happy and so pleasant as the life of the well-govern'd angler.

There are offences given and offences not given but taken.

Let us not repine, or so much as think the gifts of God unequally dealt, if we see another abound with riches, when, as God knows, the cares that are the keys that keep those riches hang often so heavily at the rich man's girdle that they dog him with weary days and restless nights, even when others sleep quietly.

It was wisely said, by a man of great observation, that there are as many miseries beyond riches as on this side of them.