Falsehood, like the dry-rot, flourishes the more in proportion as air and light are excluded.

Falsehood is difficult to be maintained. When the materials of a building are solid blocks of stone, very rude architecture will suffice; but a structure of rotten materials needs the most careful adjustment to make it stand at all.

It is also important to guard against mistaking for good-nature what is properly good-humor,--a cheerful flow of spirits and easy temper not readily annoyed, which is compatible with great selfishness.

To know your ruling passion, examine your castles in the air.

To follow imperfect, uncertain, or corrupted traditions, in order to avoid erring in our own judgment, is but to exchange one danger for another.

Neither human applause nor human censure is to be taken as the best of truth; but either should set us upon testing ourselves.

A certain class of novels may with propriety be called fables.