The rulers of the earth are all worth knowing; they suggest moral reflections: and the respect that one naturally has for God's vice-regents here on earth is greatly increased by acquaintance with them.

Good breeding is the result of good sense, some good nature, and a little self-denial for the sake of others.

Custom has made dancing sometimes necessary for a young man; therefore mind it while you learn it, that you may learn to do it well, and not be ridiculous, though in a ridiculous act.

To take a wife merely as an agreeable and rational companion, will commonly be found to be a grand mistake.

Good manners, to those one does not love, are no more a breach of truth, than "your humble servant," at the bottom of a challengeis; they are universally agreed upon, and understand to be things of course. They are necessary guards of the decency and peace of society.

It seems to me that physical sickness softens, just as moral sickness hardens, the heart.

Ceremonies are the outworks of manners.