To string incongruities and absurdities together in a wandering and sometimes purposeless way, and seem innocently unaware that they are absurdities, is the basis of the American art, if my position is correct.

It was not lively enough for a pleasure trip; but if we had only had a corpse it would have made a noble funeral excursion.

The Bible has noble poetry in it... and some good morals and a wealth of obscenity, and upwards of a thousand lies.

Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.

To the rear, sir—he's lost his leg!

To place man properly at the present time, he stands somewhere between the angels and the French.

Not a sparrow falls to the ground without His seeing it." "But it falls, just the same. What good is seeing it fall?