Officious, innocent, sincere, Of every friendless name the friend.

Never, my dear Sir, do you take it into your head that I do not love you; you may settle yourself in full confidence both of my love and my esteem; I love you as a kind man, I value you as a worthy man, and hope in time to reverence you as a man of exemplary piety.

It is as bad as bad can be: it is ill-fed, ill-killed, ill-kept, and ill-drest.

Every man has some favorite topic of conversation, on which, by a feigned seriousness of attention, he may be drawn to expatiate without end.

Every man wishes to be wise, and they who cannot be wise are almost always cunning.

The end of writing is to instruct; the end of poetry is to instruct by pleasing.

I live in the crowd of jollity, not so much to enjoy company as to shun myself.