And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose, And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows.

I have stated it plain, an' my argument's thus ( It's all one, says the Sapper) There's only one Corps which is perfect - that's us; An' they call us Her Majesty's Engineers, With the rank and pay of a Sapper!

You may talk o' gin and beer When you're quartered safe out 'ere, An' you're sent to penny-fights an' Aldershot it; But when it comes to slaughter You will do your work on water, An' you'll lick the bloomin' boots of 'im that's got it.

No printed word, nor spoken plea can teach young minds what they should be. Not all the books on all the shelves - but what the teachers are themselves.

And what should they know of England who only England know?

Too much work and too much energy kill a man just as effectively as too much assorted vice or too much drink.

I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all i knew); Theirs names are What and Why and When And How And Where and Who.