A coxcomb is one whom simpletons believe to be a man of merit.

A man of the world must seem to be what he wishes to be thought.

It is easier to enrich ourselves with a thousand virtues, than to correct ourselves of a single fault.

It requires more than mere genius to be an author.

It is boorish to live ungraciously: the giving is the hardest part; what does it cost to add a smile?

What is certain in death is somewhat softened by what is uncertain; it is an indefiniteness in the time, which holds a certain relation to the infinite, and what is called eternity.

Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life; cunning is a kind of instinct, that only looks out after our immediate interests and welfare. Discretion is only found in men of strong sense and good understanding; cunning is often to be met with in brutes themselves, and in persons who are but the fewest removes from them.