A little praise is good for a shy temper; it teaches it to rely on the kindness of others.

Two evils, of almost equal weight, may befall the man of erudition; never to be listened to, and to be listened to always.

It appears to be among the laws of nature, that the mighty of intellect should be pursued and carped by the little, as the solitary flight of one great bird is followed by the twittering petulance of many smaller.

Wisdom consisteth not in knowing many things, nor even in knowing them thoroughly; but in choosing and in following what conduces the most certainly to our lasting happiness and true glory.

I sometimes think that the most plaintive ditty has brought a fuller joy and of longer duration to its composer that the conquest of Persia to the Macedonian.

Contentment is better than divinations or visions.

Cats like men are flatterers.