Habit converts luxurious enjoyments into dull and daily necessities. There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self. Let us thank heaven for hypocrisy. Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you.
Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.
Nonsense is an assertion of man's spiritual freedom in spite of all the oppressions of circumstance. To his dog, every man is Napoleon. Hence the constant popularity of dogs. The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm. Children are remarkable for their intelligence and ardour, for their curiosity, their intolerance of shams, the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision.