The only people who can be excused for letting a bad book loose on the world are the poor devils who have to write for a living.

The ancients, sir, are the ancients, and we are the people of today.

I feed on good soup, not beautiful language.

One should eat to live, not live to eat.

There's nothing people can't contrive to praise or condemn and find justification for doing so, according to their age and their inclinations.

What a terrible thing to be a great lord, yet a wicked man.

True, Heaven prohibits certain pleasures; but one can generally negotiate a compromise.