A sense of humor judges one's actions and the actions of others from a wider reference and a longer view and finds them incongruous. It dampens enthusiasm; it mocks hope; it pardons shortcomings; it consoles failure. It recommends moderation.

Hope, like faith, is nothing if it is not courageous; it is nothing if it is not ridiculous.

We do not choose the day of our birth nor may we choose the day of our death, yet choice is the sovereign faculty of the mind.

Those who are silent, self-effacing and attentive become the recipients of confidences.