The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book- a book that was a dead language to the uneducated passenger, but which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day.

My land, the power of training! Of influence! Of education! It can bring a body up to believe anything.

Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates.

Sacred cows make the best hamburger.

We don't cut up when mad men are bred by the old legitimate regular stock religions, but we can't allow wildcat religions to indulge in such disastrous experiments.

I have too much respect for the truth to drag it out on every trifling occasion.

Every time I reform in one direction I go overboard in another.