more foolish. Oftener than we imagine people notice things which we suppose we have artfully concealed from them. Of this observation more than half is true, and that is a good deal for a maxim laid down by a man in his thirtieth year, as I have done this.
Expressions of magnanimity are nowadays more a matter of culture than of disposition—that is to say, a man is magnanimous rather for the sake of showing off than out of goodness of heart. Those who have it in their nature rarely perceive that it is anything special to be magnanimous.
The warmest advocates of a branch of knowledge—the men who cannot bear that the faintest suspicion of a doubt should be cast upon it, are generally such persons as have not attained any very great proficiency in it, and are secretly conscious of the fact.
It is in most cases more difficult to make intelligent people believe that you are what you are not, than really to become what you would appear to be.
The reason why intercourse with sensible people is in every case so much to be recommended, is that in this way, by mere force of imitation, a blockhead may learn to act intelligently ; for the greatest blockheads are capable of imitating—even monkeys, poodles and elephants can do so.
