Any one is to be pitied who has just sense enough to perceive his deficiencies.

He who undervalues himself is justly undervalued by others.

Let a man's talents or virtues be what they may, we only feel satisfaction in his society as he is satisfied in himself.

We prefer ourselves to others, only because we have a more intimate consciousness and confirmed opinion of our own claims and merits than of any other person's.

Every one in a crowd has the power to throw dirt: nine out of ten have the inclination.

Society is a more level surface than we imagine. Wise men or absolute fools are hard to be met with, as there are few giants or dwarfs.

People do not seem to talk for the sake of expressing their opinions, but to maintain an opinion for the sake of talking.

We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner of doing it. This is the reason why it is so difficult for any but natives to speak a language correctly or idiomatically.

Persons of slender intellectual stamina dread competition, as dwarfs are afraid of being run over in the street.

The way to secure success is to be more anxious about obtaining than about deserving it.