“Discretion is the salt, and fancy the sugar of life; the one preserves, the other sweetens it.”

The cheerful live longest in years, and afterwards in our regards. Cheerfulness is the off-shoot of goodness.

The passions are like fire, useful in a thousand ways and dangerous only in one, through their excess.

Winter is the night of vegetation.

A profusion of fancies and quotations is out of place in a love-letter. True feeling is always direct, and never deviates into by-ways to cull flowers of rhetoric.

What we call conscience in many instances, is only a wholesome fear of the law.

There is great beauty in going through life without anxiety or fear. Half our fears are baseless, and the other half discreditable.

There is probably no hell for authors in the next world – they suffer so much from critics and publishers in this.

Kindred weaknesses induce friendships as often as kindred virtues.

The heart contracts as the pocket expands.

Hope is the best part of our riches.

Alas, the transports beauty can inspire!

The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater ennoble it.

Four sweet lips, two pure souls, and one undying affection, – these are love’s pretty ingredients for a kiss.

In the assurance of strength there is strength; and they are the weakest, however strong, who have no faith in themselves or their powers.

It is the passion that is in a kiss that gives to it its sweetness; it is the affection in a kiss that sanctifies it.

A book should be luminous not voluminous.

The simple part is, every thought we think and every word we speak is creating our future. If you change your thinking, you can change your life.

Our obligation is to give meaning to life and in doing so to overcome the passive, indifferent life.

Divorce becomes a holy moment when you choose to use it as a catalyst for having an extraordinary life.

The atheist, by merely being in touch with reality, appears shamefully out of touch with the fantasy life of his neighbors.

Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent.

If you listen quietly enough life will whisper its secrets to you.

I never blame failure – there are too many complicated situations in life – but I am absolutely merciless toward lack of effort.

Life is to be enjoyed, not endured.