There are many families where the whole interest of life is centered upon the dog.

Let us play the game of life as sportsmen, pocketing our winnings with a smile, leaving our losings with a shrug.

That the boat did not upset I simply state as a fact. Why it did not upset I am unable to offer any reason. I have often thought about the matter since, but I have never succeeded in arriving at any satisfactory explanation of the phenomenon. Possibly the result may have been brought about by the natural obstinacy of all things in this world. The boat may possibly have come to the conclusion, judging from a cursory view of our behaviour, that we had come out for a morning's suicide, and had thereupon determined to disappoint us. That is the only suggestion I can offer.

We must not think of the things we could do with, but only of the things that we can't do without.

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.

It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.

Idling has always been my strong point.