There is no kind of idleness by which we are so easily seduced as that which dignifies itself by the appearance of business.

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.

Fall seven times, Stand up eight

The difference between a good and great officer is about ten seconds.

You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth.

Am I good enough to go to Heaven?

Well, for future reference, this is my serious face.

People like me, who care about printing, constitute the tiniest lunatic fringe in the nation.

On matters of intonation and technicalities I am more than a martinet - I am a martinetissimo.

Death was just the beginning of a journey that everyone took at some point.

The search for God means having the courage to set out on a risky path, it means following our restless hearts.

I suppose the problem ... is that we have an inside and an outside. We've got problems both places, but it's so hard to tell where the one stops and the other takes up.