How narrow our souls become when absorbed in any present good or ill! It is only the thought of the future that makes them great.
It is simpler and easier to flatter people than to praise them.
Joy descends gently upon us like the evening dew, and does not patter down like a hailstorm.
There is a joy in sorrow which none but a mourner can know.
Sleep, riches, and health, to be truly enjoyed, must be interrupted.
We learn our virtues from our friends who love us; our faults from the enemy who hates us. We cannot easily discover our real character from a friend. He is a mirror, on which the warmth of our breath impedes the clearness of the reflection.