Johann Kaspar Lavater
A sneer is often the sign of heartless malignity.
Beware of him who hates the laugh of a child.
Mistrust the man who finds everything good, the man who finds everything evil and still more the man who is indifferent to everything.
Never tell evil of a man, if you do not know it for certainty, and if you know it for a certainty, then ask yourself, 'Why should I tell it?'
Who makes quick use of the moment is a genius of prudence.
He who seldom speaks, and with one calm well-timed word can strike dumb the loquacious, is a genius or a hero.
It is a poor wit who lives by borrowing the words, decisions, inventions and actions of others.
There are many kinds of smiles, each having a distinct character. Some announce goodness, and sweetness, others betray sarcasm, bitterness, and pride; some soften the countenance by their languishing tenderness, others brighten by their spiritual vivacity.