“Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things.”

Suggesting that reliability is revealed through attention to small responsibilities · Prose writings / commonly attributed

• Fame
• Truth

“The worst thing about a poet is that, when he gets a little drunk, he gets a little poetical.”

A wry observation about the self-consciousness that can accompany poetic identity · Conversation / commonly attributed

• Joy
• Poetry

“Tears are often the telescope by which men see far into heaven.”

Presenting sorrow as a way of deepening spiritual perception · Prose writings / commonly attributed

• Despair
• Faith