Stars and shadows ain't good to see by.

The critic's symbol should be the tumble-bug: he deposits his egg in somebody else's dung, otherwise he could not hatch it.

When you catch an adjective, kill it.

What a world of trouble those who never marry escape! There are many happy matches, it is true, and sometimes "my dear," and "my love" come from the heart; but what sensible bachelor, rejoicing in his freedom and years of discretion, will run the tremendous risk?

Use the right word, not its second cousin.

Shut the door not that it lets in the cold but that it lets out the coziness.

If your only tool is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.