This man [Chesterfield] I thought had been a lord among wits; but I fi — Wit

"Great wits are sure to madness near allied, And thin partitions do their bounds divide."

"He must be a dull Fellow indeed, whom neither Love, Malice, nor Necessity, can inspire with Wit."

"Make the doors upon a womans wit and it will out at the casement; shut that and twill out at the key-hole; stop that, twill fly with the smoke out at the chimney."

"To the many, witticisms not only require to be explained, like riddles, but are also like new shoes, which people require to wear many times before they get accustomed to them."

"Wit involves describing the world as it actually is. You experience a release of tension when you notice a glitch. Something was off-kilter, and now you see what it was. The elephant in the room has been named. The evil spirit has been incanted. Perceiving an incongruity in our supposedly smooth-running society provokes a shock of recognition and a concomitant burst of laughter. Wit is a critical-satirical process that can be more serious than the “humorous” label suggests."

"Some mens wit is like a dark lantern, which serves their own turn and guides them their own way, but is never known (according to the Scripture phrase) either to shine forth before men, or to glorify their Father in heaven."