Human wisdom makes as ill use of her talent when she exercises it in rescinding from the number and sweetness of those pleasures that are naturally our due, as she employs it favorably and well in artificially disguising and tricking out the ills of life to alleviate the sense of them.

Every period of life has its peculiar prejudices; whoever saw old age, that did not applaud the past, and condemn the present times?

To forbid us anything is to make us have a mind to 't.

Books are pleasant, but if by being over-studious we impair our health and spoil our good humour, two of the best things we have, let us give it over. I, for my part, am one of those who think no fruit derived from them can recompense so great a loss.

My business is only to keep myself in motion, whilst motion pleases me; I only walk for the walk's sake.

I set forth notions that are human and my own, simply as human notions considered in themselves, not as determined and decreed by heavenly ordinance.

The greater part of the world's troubles are due to questions of grammar.