To write anything tolerable, the mind must be in a natural, proper disposition; provocatives, in that case, as well as in another,will only produce miserable, abortive performances.
Lord ChesterfieldHe adorned whatever subject he either spoke or wrote upon, by the most splendid eloquence.
Lord ChesterfieldMost people have ears, but few have judgment; tickle those ears, and depend upon it, you will catch their judgments, such as they are.
Lord ChesterfieldOne man affirms that he has rode post a hundred miles in six hours; probably it is a lie; but supposing it to be true, what then? Why, he is a very good post-boy; that is all. Another asserts, and probably not without oaths, that he has drunk six or eight bottles of wine at a sitting; out of charity I will believe him a liar; for if I do not, I must think him a beast.
Lord Chesterfield