Mankind are an incorrigible race. Give them but bugbears and idols — it is all that they ask; the distinctions of right and wrong, of truth and falsehood, of good and evil, are worse than indifferent to them. – William Hazlitt
Man is a make-believe animal — he is never so truly himself as when he is acting a part. – William Hazlitt
A hypocrite despises those whom he deceives, but has no respect for himself. He would make a dupe of himself too, if he could. – William Hazlitt
Satirists gain the applause of others through fear, not through love. – William Hazlitt
All sounds are sharper in winter; the air transmits better. At night I hear more distinctly the steady roar of the North Mountain. In summer it is a sort of complacent purr, as the breezes stroke down its sides; but in winter always the same low, sullen growl. – John Burroughs, “The Snow-Walkers,” 1866