“A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life.”

“With an evening coat and a white tie, as you told me once, anybody, even a stock-broker, can gain a reputation for being civilized. Well, after I had been in the room about ten minutes, talking to huge overdressed dowagers and tedious academicians, I suddenly became conscious that some one was looking at me.”

“You should treat the trivial things in life seriously and the serious things in life with a sincere and studied triviality”

“Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation.”

“We should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality.”

“Life is too important to be taken seriously.”

“Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.”