They say the test of [literary power] is whether a man can write an inscription. I say, "Can he name a kitten?" And by this test I am condemned, for I cannot.
Samuel ButlerThe foundations which we would dig about and find are within us, like the kingdom of heaven, rather than without.
Samuel ButlerThere are two great rules of life; the one general and the other particular. The first is that everyone can, in the end, get what he wants, if he only tries. That is the general rule. The particular rule is that every individual is, more or less, an exception to the rule.
Samuel ButlerPrayers are to men as dolls are to children. They are not without use and comfort, but it is not easy to take them very seriously.
Samuel Butler