We are all prompted by the same motives, all deceived by the same fallacies, all animated by hope, obstructed by danger, entangled by desire, and seduced by pleasure.

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.

I love books.

Work while you can. But avoid overwork

And now none of it could be undone. That was the exquisite irony: the act that had undone everything could not itself be undone.

My mind says one thing, but my body says another. Thanks a lot, Indian food and beer.

What we call knowledge does not and cannot have the purpose of producing representations of an independent reality, but instead has an adaptive function.

I wasn't tempted to go into academia for a second.

I don't want to make more friends. I have four kids, I have plenty of friends, and all the personal relationships I need.

When she needed help most, she was abandoned--and only when she offered help to others was she beloved.

Only those who have the courage to fail greatly achieve greatly.

That's something that is almost part of being human and I'm certain that will continue.