It is so much easier to tell intimate things in the dark. — William McFee

"A young man must let his ideas grow, not be continually rooting them up to see how they are getting on."

"One must choose between Obscurity with Efficiency, and Fame with its inevitable collateral of Bluff. There is a period, well on toward middle life, when a man can say such things to himself and feel comforted."

"The world belongs to the enthusiast who keeps cool."

"It is extraordinary how many emotional storms one may weather in safety if one is ballasted with ever so little gold."

"A trouble is a trouble, and the general idea, in the country, is to treat it as such, rather than to snatch the knotted cords from the hand of God and deal out murderous blows."

"Steam is the friend of man. Steam engines are very human. Their very weaknesses are understandable. Steam engines do not flash back and blow your face in. They do not short-circuit and rive your heart with imponderable electric force. They have arms and legs and warm hearts and veins full of warm vapour. Give us steam every time. You know where you are with steam."