Men are seldom more commonplace than on supreme occasions. — Samuel Butler Commonplace Copy Share Image
All animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it. — Samuel Butler Animals Copy Share Image
There is nothing so unthinkable as thought, unless it be the entire absence of thought. — Samuel Butler Absence Copy Share Image
If you follow reason far enough it always leads to conclusions that are contrary to reason. — Samuel Butler Enough Copy Share Image
“We pay a person the compliment of acknowledging his superiority whenever we lie to them.” — Samuel Butler Copy Share Image
A friend who cannot at a pinch remember a thing or two that never happened is as bad as one who does… — Samuel Butler Forget Copy Share Image
Brigands will demand your money or your life, but a woman will demand both — Samuel Butler Demand Copy Share Image
Logic is like the sword - those who appeal to it, shall perish by it. — Samuel Butler Logic Copy Share Image
Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only. — Samuel Butler Appearance Copy Share Image
“Property, marriage, the law; as the bed to the river, so rule and convention to the instinct; and woe to him who… — Samuel Butler Marriage Copy Share Image
Every man's work, whether it be literature, or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself. — Samuel Butler Architecture Copy Share Image
The wish to spread those opinions that we hold conducive to our own welfare is so deeply rooted in the English character… — Samuel Butler Character Copy Share Image
Christ: I dislike him very much. Still, I can stand him. What I cannot stand is the wretched band of people whose… — Samuel Butler Band Copy Share Image
If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how… — Samuel Butler Little Copy Share Image
It is not sufficiently considered in the hour of exultation, that all human excellence is comparative; that no man performs much but… — Samuel Butler Accomplish Copy Share Image
“Happiness and misery consist in a progression towards better or worse; it does not matter how high up or low down you… — Samuel Butler Happiness Copy Share Image
A lawyer's dream of heaven: every man reclaimed his property at the resurrection, and each tried to recover it from all his… — Samuel Butler Dream Copy Share Image
“It is hard enough to know whether one is happy or unhappy now, and still harder to compare the relative happiness or… — Samuel Butler Different times Copy Share Image
For most men, and most circumstances, pleasure --tangible material prosperity in this world --is the safest test of virtue. Progress has ever… — Samuel Butler Character Copy Share Image
“We can never get rid of mouse-ideas completely, they keep turning up again and again, and nibble, nibble--no matter how often we… — Samuel Butler Ideas Copy Share Image
“For society indeed of all sorts, except of course that of a few intimate friends, he had an unconquerable aversion. "I always… — Samuel Butler Hate people Copy Share Image
“we must judge men not so much by what they, as by what they make us feel that they have it in… — Samuel Butler Life Copy Share Image
“All our lives long, every day and every hour, we are engaged in the process of accommodating our changed and unchanged selves… — Samuel Butler Every day Copy Share Image
“All young ladies are either very pretty or very clever or very sweet; they may take their choice as to which category… — Samuel Butler Young ladies Copy Share Image
“To me it seems that youth is like spring, an overpraised season-- delightful if it happen to be a favoured one, but… — Samuel Butler Autumn Copy Share Image
“I tell you, Edward, said my father with some severity, we must judge men not so much by what they do, as… — Samuel Butler Life Copy Share Image
“Young people have a marvelous faculty of either dying or adapting themselves to circumstances. Even if they are unhappy - very unhappy… — Samuel Butler Child Copy Share Image
“So engrained in the human heart is the desire to believe that some people really do know what they say they know,… — Samuel Butler Human heart Copy Share Image
A skilful leech is better far, than half a hundred men of war. — Samuel Butler Better Copy Share Image
