Women who are either indisputably beautiful, or indisputably ugly, are best flattered upon the score of their understandings.

If we do not plant knowledge when young, it will give us no shade when we are old.

If ever a man and his wife, or a man and his mistress, who pass nights as well as days together, absolutely lay aside all good breeding, their intimacy will soon degenerate into a coarse familiarity, infallibly productive of contempt or disgust.

Civility, which is a disposition to accommodate and oblige others, is essentially the same in every country; but good breeding, asit is called, which is the manner of exerting that disposition, is different in almost every country, and merely local; and every man of sense imitates and conforms to that local good breeding of the place which he is at.

I love every-day senses, every-day wit and entertainment; a man who is only good on holidays, is good for very little.

Modesty is the only sure bait when you angle for praise.

Conscious virtue is the only solid foundation of all happiness; for riches, power, rank, or whatever, in the common acceptation ofthe word, is supposed to constitute happiness, will never quiet, much less cure, the inward pangs of guilt.