The primary sign of a well-ordered mind is a man's ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company

Economy is in itself a great source of revenue.

Such is the blindness, nay the insanity of mankind, that some men are driven to death by the fear of it.

When you enter a grove peopled with ancient trees, higher than the ordinary, and shutting out the sky with their thickly inter-twined branches, do not the stately shadows of the wood, the stillness of the place, and the awful gloom of this doomed cavern then strike you with the presence of a deity?

The wise man will always reflect concerning the quality not the quantity of life.

That which we are not permitted to have we delight in; that which we can have is disregarded.

It is man's duty to live in conformity with the divine will, and this means, firstly, bringing his life into line with 'nature's laws', and secondly, resigning himself completely and uncomplainingly to whatever fate may send him. Only by living thus, and not setting too high a value on things which can at any moment be taken away from him, can he discover that true, unshakeable peace and contentment to which ambition, luxury and above all avarice are among the greatest obstacles.