It is of no consequence of what parents a man is born, as long as he be a man of merit.

Fortune makes a fool of those she favors too much.

Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us of the road Which to discover we must travel too.

The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.

It is your business when the wall next door catches fire.

It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity.

Good sense is both the first principal and the parent source of good writing.

Avoid inquisitive persons, for they are sure to be gossips, their ears are open to hear, but they will not keep what is entrusted to them.

It is your concern when your neighbor's wall is on fire.

Knowledge without education is but armed injustice.

Every old poem is sacred.

He has not lived badly whose birth and death has been unnoticed by the world.

We are free to yield to truth.

O imitators, you slavish herd!

It's a good thing to be foolishly gay once in a while.

A word, once sent abroad, flies irrevocably.

I strive to be brief but I become obscure.

You may drive out nature with a pitchfork, yet she'll be constantly running back.

Life is largely a matter of expectation.

Time will bring to light whatever is hidden; it will cover up and conceal what is now shining in splendor.

The foolish are like ripples on water, For whatsoever they do is quickly effaced; But the righteous are like carvings upon stone, For their smallest act is durable.

Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work.

Choose a subject equal to your abilities; think carefully what your shoulders may refuse, and what they are capable of bearing.

A word once uttered can never be recalled.

Fidelity is the sister of justice.

Begin, be bold and venture to be wise.

Why harass with eternal purposes a mind to weak to grasp them?

Words will not fail when the matter is well considered.

A heart well prepared for adversity in bad times hopes, and in good times fears for a change in fortune.

You traverse the world in search of happiness, which is within the reach of every man. A contented mind confers it on all.

The power of daring anything their fancy suggest, as always been conceded to the painter and the poet.

No poems can please for long or live that are written by water drinkers.

Labor diligently to increase your property.

If you would have me weep, you must first of all feel grief yourself.

Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.

Usually the modest person passes for someone reserved, the silent for a sullen person.

Sad people dislike the happy, and the happy the sad; the quick thinking the sedate, and the careless the busy and industrious.

Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow.

I teach that all men are mad.

If matters go badly now, they will not always be so.

One wanders to the left, another to the right. Both are equally in error, but, are seduced by different delusions.

He has the deed half done who has made a beginning.

If a man's fortune does not fit him, it is like the shoe in the story; if too large it trips him up, if too small it pinches him.

No verse can give pleasure for long, nor last, that is written by drinkers of water.

I hate the irreverent rabble and keep them far from me.

Nothing's beautiful from every point of view.

Money is a handmaiden, if thou knowest how to use it; a mistress, if thou knowest not.

We are often deterred from crime by the disgrace of others.

We rarely find anyone who can say he has lived a happy life, and who, content with his life, can retire from the world like a satisfied guest.