“It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are the more gentle and quiet we become towards the defects of others
“True happiness arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one's self, and in the next, from the friendship and conversation of a few select companions
“If we hope for what we are not likely to possess, we act and think in vain, and make life a greater dream and shadow than it really is.
“Men may change their climate, but they cannot change their nature. A man that goes out a fool cannot ride or sail himself into common sense
“Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments; but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.
“I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world
“Animals, in their generation, are wiser than the sons of men; but their wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a very narrow compass
“A happy marriage has in it all the pleasures of friendships, all the enjoyment of sense and reason - and indeed all the sweets of life.
“A man who is furnished with arguments from the mint will convince his antagonist much sooner than one who draws them from reason and philosophy