One of the problems of social life is to know what to say to one another when we meet; every man and woman's desire is to appear sympathetic and clever, and this makes conversation difficult, because, taking us all around, we are neither sympathetic nor clever.

Virtue lies like the gold in quartz: there is not very much of it and much pain has to be spent on the extracting of it.

Weather in towns is like a skylark in a counting-house— out of place and in the way,

We drink one another's healths and spoil our own.

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need— a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.

Memory is a rare ghost-raiser. Like a haunted house, its walls are ever echoing to unseen feet.

They dogs never talk about themselves but listen to you while you talk about yourself, and keep up an appearance of being interested in the conversation.

It is so pleasant to come across people more stupid than ourselves.We love them at once for being so.

Opportunities fly by while we sit regretting the chances we have lost, and the happiness that comes to us we heed not, because of the happiness that is gone

It is always the best policy to tell the truth, unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar.