Every man, in judging of himself, is his own contemporary. He may feel the gale of popularity, but he cannot tell how long it will last. His opinion of himself wants distance, wants time, wants numbers, to set it off and confirm it.

Habit is necessary to give power.

To create an unfavorable impression, it is not necessary that certain things should be true, but that they have been said.

Of all eloquence a nickname is the most concise; of all arguments the most unanswerable.

Old friendships are like meats served up repeatedly, cold, comfortless, and distasteful. The stomach turns against them.

A wise traveler never despises his own country.

To write a genuine familiar or truly English style is to write as anyone would speak in common conversation, who had a thorough command and choice of words, or who could discourse with ease, force, and perspicuity, setting aside all pedantic and oratorical flourishes.