My Mind Was, As It Were, Strongly

After I Went To Bed I Had A Curious Fancy As To Dreams. In Sleep The Doors Of The Mind Are Shut, And Thoughts Come Jumping In At The Windows. They Tumble Headlong, And Therefore Are So Disorderly And Strange. Sometimes They Are Stout And Light On Their Feet, And Then They Are Rational Dreams.

For My Own Part I Think No Innocent Species Of Wit Or Pleasantry Should Be Suppressed: And That A Good Pun May Be Admitted Among The Smaller Excellencies Of Lively Conversation.

Writing A Book I Have Found To Be Like Building A House. A Man Forms A Plan, And Collects Materials. He Thinks He Has Enough To Raise A Large And Stately Edifice; But After He Has Arranged, Compacted And Polished, His Work Turns Out To Be A Very Small Performance. The Authour However Like The Builder, Knows How Much Labour His Work Has Cost Him; And Therefore Estimates It At A Higher Rate Than Other People Think It Deserves

What An Insignificant Life Is This Which I Am Now Leading!

[a]s A Lady Adjusts Her Dress Before A Mirror, A Man Adjusts His Character By Looking At His Journal.