"Do not accustom yourself to use big words for little matters."

"While grief is fresh, every attempt to divert only irritates. You must wait till it be digested, and then amusement will dissipate the remains of it."

"A woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hinder legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all."

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."

"A cucumber should be well-sliced, dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out."

"Knowledge is of two kinds: we know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it."

"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."

"Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light shining somewhere nearby."

"Men can know more than their ancestors did if they start with a knowledge of what their ancestors had already learned....That is why a society can be progressive only if it conserves its traditions."

"No place affords a more striking conviction of the vanity of human hopes than a public library."

"Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors."

"Parents can only advise their children or point them in the right direction. Ultimately people shape their own characters."