One of the first businesses of a sensible man is to know when he is beaten, and to leave off fighting at once. – Samuel Butler
A man should be just cultured enough to be able to look with suspicion upon culture at first, not second hand. – Samuel Butler
It is a wise tune that knows its own father, and I like my music to be the legitimate offspring of respectable parents. – Samuel Butler
Those who have never had a father can at any rate never know the sweets of losing one. To most men the death of his father is a new lease of life. – Samuel Butler