It may be made a question whether men grow wiser as they grow older, anymore than they grow stronger or healthier or honest.

Silence is one great art of conversation. He is not a fool who knows when to hold his tongue; and a person may gain credit for sense, eloquence, wit, who merely says nothing to lessen the opinion which others have of these qualities in themselves.

No young man ever thinks he shall die.

The rule for traveling abroad is to take our common sense with us, and leave our prejudices behind.

As hypocrisy is said to be the highest compliment to virtue, the art of lying is the strongest acknowledgment of the force of truth.

Those who are fond of setting things to rights, have no great objection to seeing them wrong.

If I have not read a book before, it is, for all intents and purposes, new to me whether it was printed yesterday or three hundred years ago.