Books want to be born: I never make them. They come to me and insist on being written, and on being such and such. – Samuel Butler
When a man is in doubt about this or that in his writing, it will often guide him if he asks himself how it will tell a hundred years hence. – Samuel Butler
Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more things he will consign to it — torn up to irrecoverable tatters. – Samuel Butler
It is bad enough to see one’s own good things fathered on other people, but it is worse to have other people’s rubbish fathered upon oneself. – Samuel Butler
If you follow reason far enough it always leads to conclusions that are contrary to reason. – Samuel Butler
Life is a long process of getting tired. – Samuel Butler
To live is like to love — all reason is against it, and all healthy instinct for it. – Samuel Butler
The Ancient Mariner would not have taken so well if it had been called The Old Sailor. – Samuel Butler
Always eat grapes downward — that is eat the best grapes first; in this way there will be none better left on the bunch, and each grape will seem good down to the last. If you eat the other way, you will not have a good grape in the lot. – Samuel Butler
Fear is static that prevents me from hearing myself. – Samuel Butler
To himself everyone is immortal; he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead. – Samuel Butler
The oldest books are still only just out to those who have not read them. – Samuel Butler
The course of true anything never does run smooth. – Samuel Butler
