I had no companions to quarrel with, nobody to assist, and nobody to thank... the evil consequence of all this was not, however, what might perhaps have been expected, that I grew up selfish or non affectionate; but that, when affection did come, it came with a violence utterly rampant and unmanageable.

That which seems to be wealth may in verity be only the gilded index of far reaching ruin

Like other beautiful things in this world, its end (that of a shaft) is to be beautiful; and, in proportion to its beauty, it receives permission to be otherwise useless. We do not blame emeralds and rubies because we cannot make them into heads of hammers.

A splendour of miscellaneous spirits.

God gives us always strength enough, and sense enough, for what He wants us to do; if we either tire ourselves or puzzle ourselves, it is our own fault.

It takes a great deal of living to get a little deal of learning.

When the whole world turns clown, and paints itself red with its own hearts blood instead of vermilion, it is something else than comic.