Great Throughts Treasury

"That laughter costs too much which is purchased by the sacrifice of decency."

"That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes."

"The gifts of nature are infinite in their variety, and mind differs from mind almost as much as body from body"

"The height of art is to conceal art."

"The learned understand the reason of the art, the unlearned feel the pleasure."

"The mind is exercised by the variety and multiplicity of the subject matter, while the character is molded by the contemplation of virtue and vice."

"The obscurity of a writer is generally in proportion to his incapacity."

"The perfection of art is to conceal art."

"The pretended admission of a fault on our part creates an excellent impression."

"The prosperous cannot easily form a right idea of misery."

"The soul languishing in obscurity contracts a kind of rust, or abandons itself to the chimera of presumption; for it is natural for it to acquire something, even when separated from any one."

"There is no one who would not rather appear to know than to be taught."

"Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish."

"To my mind the boy who gives least promise is one in whom the critical faculty develops in advance of the imagination."

"To swear, except when necessary, is becoming to an honorable man."

"Vain hopes are like certain dreams of those who wake."

"Verse satire indeed is entirely our own."

"We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty."

"We give to necessity the praise of virtue."

"We must form our minds by reading deep rather than wide."

"We must not expect anyone to weep for long over another's misfortunes."

"When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield."

"Where evil habits are once settled, they are more easily broken than mended."

"When we cannot hope to win, it is an advantage to yield."

"While we are examining into everything we sometimes find truth where we least expected it."

"While we are making up our minds as to when we shall begin, the opportunity is lost."

"Without natural gifts technical rules are useless."