Correspondences are like small clothes before the invention of suspenders; it is impossible to keep them up. – Sydney Smith
Manners are like the shadows of virtues, they are the momentary display of those qualities which our fellow creatures love and respect. – Sydney Smith
A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience. – Sydney Smith
Do not try to push your way through to the front ranks of your profession do not run after distinctions and rewards but do your utmost to find an entry into the world of beauty. – Sydney Smith
Letters are above all useful as a means of expressing the ideal self; and no other method of communication is quite so good for this purpose. In letters we can reform without practice, beg without humiliation, snip and shape embarrassing experiences to the measure of our own desires… – Elizabeth Hardwick