His scorn of the great is repeated too often to be real; no man thinks much of that which he despises.

Before dinner men meet with great inequality of understanding.

Ease, a neutral state between pain and pleasure ... if it is not rising into pleasure will be falling towards pain.

Books without the knowledge of life are useless.

When once the forms of civility are violated, there remains little hope of return to kindness or decency.

Those whose abilities or knowledge incline them most to deviate from the general round of life are recalled from eccentricity by the laws of their existence.

Among those whose reputation is exhausted in a short time by its own luxuriance are the writers who take advantage of present incidents or characters which strongly interest the passions, and engage universal attention. It is not difficult to obtain readers, when we discuss a question which every one is desirous to understand, which is debated in every assembly, and has divided the nation into parties; or when we display the faults or virtues of him whose public conduct has made almost every man his enemy or his friend.