All men come into this world alone and leave it alone.

The whole body of the arts and sciences composes one vast machinery for the irritation and development of the human intellect.

But my way of writing is rather to think aloud, and follow my own humours, than much to consider who is listening to me; and, if I stop to consider what is proper to be said to this or that person, I shall soon come to doubt whether any part at all is proper.

Under our present enormous accumulation of books, I do affirm that a most miserable distraction of choice must be very generally incident to the times; that the symptoms of it are in fact very prevalent, and that one of the chief symptoms is an enormous 'gluttonism' for books.

It is most absurdly said, in popular language, of any man, that he is disguised in liquor; for, on the contrary, most men are disguised by sobriety.

It is one of the misfortunes in life that one must read thousands of books only to discover that one need not have read them.

Even imperfection itself may have its ideal or perfect state.