There has been only one Christian. They caught and crucified him—early. - Mark Twain

Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool.

The fact of the business is, you've got to be one of two ages to appreciate [Walter] Scott. When you're eighteen you can read Ivanhoe, and you want to wait until you are ninety to read some of the rest.

Saturday morning was come, and all the summer world was bright and fresh, and brimming with life. There was a song in every heart; and if the heart was young, the music issued at the lips. There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step. The locust-trees were in bloom, and the fragrance of the blossoms filled the air. Cardiff Hill, beyond the village and above, it was green with vegetation, and it lay just far enough away to seem a Delectable Land, dreamy, reposeful, and inviting.