Tears may be considered as the natural and involuntary resource of the mind overcome by some sudden and violent emotion, before ithas had time to reconcile its feelings to the change in circumstances: while laughter may be defined to be the same sort of convulsive and involuntary movement, occasioned by mere sur prise or contrast (in the absence of any more serious emotion), before it has time to reconcile its belief to contradictory appearances.

To give a reason for anything is to breed a doubt of it.

Dr. Johnson was a lazy learned man who liked to think and talk better than to read or write; who, however, wrote much and well, but too often by rote.

The best way to make ourselves agreeable to others is by seeming to think them so. If we appear fully sensible of their good qualities they will not complain of the want of them in us.

The way to get on in the world is to be neither more nor less wise, neither better nor worse than your neighbours.

To think justly, we must understand what others mean. To know the value of our thoughts, we must try their effect on other minds.

To great evils we submit, we resent little provocations.