To the truly benevolent mind, indeed, nothing is more satisfactory than to hear of a miser denying himself the necessaries of life a little too far and ridding us of his presence altogether.

Nature of course is the best guide in the matter of choosing a pursuit.

A man with an invention on which he has spent his life, but has no means to get it developed for the good of humanity - or even patented for himself - must feel the pinch of poverty very acutely.

In all highly civilised communities Pretence is prominent, and sooner or later invades the regions of Literature.

The idea of bringing young people up to Literature is doubtless calculated to raise the eyebrows almost as much as the suggestion of bringing them up to the Stage.

A nobler example, because a less personal one, of the pinch of poverty, is when it prevents the accomplishment of some cherished scheme for the benefit of the human race.

The fact is, if a young man is naturally indolent, the spur of necessity will drive him but a very little way, while the having enough to live upon is often the means of preserving his self-respect.

For my part, I do not much believe in the predilections of boyhood.

A great philosopher has stated that the worst evil of poverty is, that it makes folks ridiculous; by which, I hope, he only means that, as in the above case, it places them in incongruous positions.

I never had a piece of toast particularly long and wide, But fell upon the sanded floor, And always on the buttered side.

Some Critics on the Hearth are not only good-natured, but have rather too high, or, if that is impossible, let us say too pronounced, an opinion of the abilities of their literary friends.

A teaspoon of honey is worth more to the bee than a barrel of gold.

Work, look for peace and calm in work: you will find it nowhere else.

It is easier to learn a bad habit than to break one. It is easier to break a good habit than to learn one.

She who is really a wife, one in heart, flesh, and bone, must follow wherever he leads, in whom her life, her strength, her pride, and happiness are centered.

The cucumber and the tomato are both fruit; the avocado is a nut. To assist with the dietary requirements of vegetarians, on the first Tuesday of the month a chicken is officially a vegetable.

There's the whole myth about rocket science. It's really not that hard. It's not brain surgery.

The point of serving your country is not to do your own thing or to go rogue, but to work as part of the process.

There is nothing but nonviolence to fall back upon for retaining our freedom, even as we had to do for gaining it.

You can't retrieve you life (unless you're on Wikipedia, in which case you can retrieve an inaccurate version of it).

We must wake ourselves up! Or somebody else will take our place, and bear our cross, and thereby rob us of our crown.