(On Charles Dickens) It has been the peculiarity and the marvel of this man’s power, that he has invested his puppets with a charm that has enabled him to dispense with human nature.
It is hard to rescue a man from the slough of luxury and idleness combined. If anything can do it, it is a cradle filled annually.
It is self-evident that at sixty-five a man has done all that he is fit to do.
There are some achievements which are never done in the presence of those who hear of them. Catching salmon is one, and working all night is another.
There is no royal road to learning; no short cut to the acquirement of any art.
I think the greatest rogues are they who talk most of their honesty.