When compiling his great dictionary, the young Noah Webster travels to the Himalayas, where he climbs to the cave of the world's wises man. 'O, great sage,' he says, 'tell me the meaning of life.' The sage sits Noah at his feet and, with great solemnity, commences to unfold the meaning of life. When finished, he places a hand on the young man's shoulder and says, 'Do you have any other questions, my son?' Noah flips a page in his notebook and says, 'You wouldn't know the meaning of lift, would you?'

The little money I have - that is my wealth, but the things I have for which I would not take money, that is my treasure.

There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed. If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude.

It's annoying to be disapproved of by people who know only half the story, especially when you're not sure which half they know.

Blogs seem to have two magnetic poles, one attracting friends, the other repulsing relatives.

There is always sufficient reason for despair, but there is never sufficient purpose.

In a household of toddlers and pets, we discover this rule of thumb about happy families - that they are least two-thirds incontinent.