Do not write merely to be understood. Write so you cannot possibly be misunderstood.

Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences.

He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No sir; I can make no hand of it; I can’t describe him. And it’s not want of memory; for I declare I can see him this moment.

An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding.

The spirit, Sir, is one of mockery.

To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.

A friend is a gift you give yourself.