Paradise Lost is a book that, once put down, is very hard to pick up again.

No man can taste the fruits of autumn while he is delighting his scent with the flowers of spring.

Most men think indistinctly, and therefore cannot speak with exactness . . .

Of all the grief's that harass the distressed; sure the most bitter is a scornful jest.

Excellence in any department can be attained only by the labor of a lifetime; it is not to be purchased at a lesser price.

Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought; our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.

The safe and general antidote against sorrow is employment. It is commonly observed, that among soldiers and seamen, though there is much kindness, there is little grief; they see their friend fall without any of that lamentation which is indulged in security and idleness, because they have no leisure to spare from the care of themselves; and whoever shall keep his thoughts equally busy will find himself equally unaffected with irretrievable losses.