Samuel Butler

When the righteous man truth away from his righteousness that he hath committed and doeth that which is neither quite lawful nor quite right, he will generally be found to have gained in amiability what he has lost in holiness.

It is not he who gains the exact point in dispute who scores most in controversy – but he who has shown the better temper.

Oaths are but words, and words are but wind.

I really do not see much use in exalting the humble and meek; they do not remain humble and meek long when they are exalted.

There is no such source of error as the pursuit of truth.

I never knew a writer yet who took the smallest pains with his style and was at the same time readable.

There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.

If I shall sell both my forenoons and afternoons to society, as most appear to do, I’m sure that, for me, there would be nothing left worth living for.

We learned about dignity and decency – that how hard you work matters more than how much you make… that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself.

When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.

You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.

To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.

That strong mother doesn’t tell her cub ‘Son, stay weak so the wolves can get you’. She says, ‘Toughen up, this is reality we are living in’.

To accept some idea of truth without experiencing it is like a painting of a cake on paper which you can not eat.

All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.

Excellence in any department can be attained only by the labor of a lifetime; it is not to be purchased at a lesser price.

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.

Logic is like the sword – those who appeal to it, shall perish by it.

There are many victories worse than a defeat.

A friend is one who incessantly pays us the compliment of expecting from us all the virtues, and who can appreciate them in us. The friend asks no return but that his friend will religiously accept and wear and not disgrace his apotheosis of him. They cherish each other’s hopes. They are kind to each other’s dreams.

Croesus said to Cambyses; That peace was better than war; because in peace the sons did bury their fathers, but in wars the fathers did bury their sons.