A family ... is a little kingdom, torn with factions and exposed to revolutions.

Cucumber should be well sliced, dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out.

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.

Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.

Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.

When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.

Classical quotation is the parole of literary men all over the world.

A man who uses a great many words to express his meaning is like a bad marksman who, instead of aiming a single stone at an object, takes up a handful and throws at it in hopes he may hit.

There are minds so impatient of inferiority that their gratitude is a species of revenge, and they return benefits, not because recompense is a pleasure, but because obligation is a pain.

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.

He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.

The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering.

Just because people throw it out and don't have any use for it, doesn't mean it's garbage.

Put it off for a bit. All life is putting off. Well, not entirely.

In America, dogs are viewed by their names first, breed second. And dogs live behind walls. It's an unnatural point of view.

Becoming enlightened is not special, but it's unusual.

I look upon England today as an old gentleman who is travelling with a great deal of baggage, trumpery which has accumulated fromlong housekeeping, which he has not the courage to burn.

People ask me, 'Would you ever want to play professional golf?' And I'm like, 'No. No, no, no, no. Just because I can hit a good shot every now and then doesn't make me a pro.'

Leisure only means a chance to do other jobs that demand attention.

We never get to see that our kid is capable of solving problems on her own. We never start to build up the faith that they can actually do it.

The ultimate mystery is one's own self.