When the righteous man truth away from his righteousness that he hath committed and doeth that which is neither quite lawful nor quite right, he will generally be found to have gained in amiability what he has lost in holiness.

Argument

We are not won by arguments that we can analyze, but by tone and temper; by the manner, which is the man himself.

Benefactors

Because they did not see merit where they should have seen it, people, to express their regret, will go and leave a lot of money to the very people who will be the first to throw stones at the next person who has anything to say and finds a difficulty in getting a hearing.

Cheerfulness

People are always good company when they are doing what they really enjoy.

Conscience

Conscience is thoroughly well-bred and soon leaves off talking to those who do not wish to hear it.

Death and Dying

To die is but to leave off dying and do the thing once for all.

Evil

Evil is like water, it abounds, is cheap, soon fouls, but runs itself clear of taint.

Faith

What is faith but a kind of betting or speculation after all? It should be, "I bet that my Redeemer liveth."

Friends and Friendship

A friend who cannot at a pinch remember a thing or two that never happened is as bad as one who does not know how to forget.

God

If God wants us to do a thing, he should make his wishes sufficiently clear. Sensible people will wait till he has done this before paying much attention to him.

Ideas

Such as take lodgings in a head that's to be let unfurnished.

Infallibility

From a worldly point of view, there is no mistake so great as that of being always right.

Lies and Lying

Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well.

Life and Living

Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo not for a man.

Life is one long process of getting tired.

Loyalty

Loyalty is still the same, whether it win or lose the game; true as a dial to the sun, although it be not shined upon.

Money

The want of money is the root of all evil.

Opinions

Opinions have vested interests just as men have.

Praise

The advantage of doing one's praising for oneself is that one can lay it on so thick and exactly in the right places.

Punishment

Then spare the rod and spoil the child.

Rules

There are two great rules of life; the one general and the other particular. The first is that everyone can, in the end, get what he wants, if he only tries. That is the general rule. The particular rule is that every individual is, more or less, an exception to the rule.

Tact and Tactfulness

It is tact that is golden, not silence.

Truth

There is no such source of error as the pursuit of truth.

Vice

The function of vice is to keep virtue within reasonable bounds.

Waste

Everyone should keep a mental wastepaper basket, and the older he grows, the more things will he promptly consign to it.

Words

Words are not as satisfactory as we should like them to be, but, like our neighbors, we have got to live with them and must make the best and not the worst of them.