“I have many friends, but more enemies, and can scarcely tell which I most enjoy, for I really enjoy being hated by some people.”

A young poet's relish for opposition as much as for friendship · Letter to Elizabeth Kahle, 21 February 1879

• Character
• Friendship
• Humour

“The more you talk about your troubles, the more troubles you have to talk about.”

Popularly attributed to Riley, but the primary source is not securely established · Prose remark, commonly attributed

• Despair
• Truth

“When you awaken some morning and hear that somebody or other has been discovered, you can put it down as a fact that he discovered himself years ago.”

Fame as the late public name for long private labour · Commonly quoted with his remarks on persistence, 1890s

• Fame
• Recognition
• Work