The apothegm is the most portable form of Truth…. It is thus that the proverb answers where the sermon fails, as a well-charged pistol will do more execution than a whole barrel of gunpowder idly expended in the air. – William Gilmore Simms, Egeria: Or, Voices of Thought and Counsel for the Woods a

Most of the noted literary men have indulged in the prudent habit of selecting favorite passages for future reference. – Charles F. Schutz, Sayings: Proverbs, Maxims, Mottoes, 1915

I enjoy collecting quotations. When I find a choice one I pounce on it like a lepidopterist. My day is made. When I lose one because I did not copy it out at once I feel bereft. – R.I. Fitzhenry, preface to The David & Charles Book of Quotations, September 198