Washington Irving

An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather.

Temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.

The tongue is the only instrument that gets sharper with use.

Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them.

There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in travelling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift ones position, and be bruised in a new place.