The Complete Works of Josh Billings

I hav alwus bore it in mind that, jist about in rasho that a person or individual iz proud and hauty, they are ignorant.

Beleaving and disbeleaving iz oftner an effort ov the will than ov the understanding.

It iz a lucky thing that epitaffs dont appear on a man’s tumestun untill he haz gone dead. If they were published while he waz living, what an insult most ov them would be tew hiz reputashun.

I think Adam waz the weakest man i ever read ov. He committed the most sin, with the least amount ov temtashun, ov enny person history iz familiar with.

One ov the surest sighns ov an intelligent civilizashun iz tew see amung the masses a bekuming respekt and reverence for the aged.

Before yu undertaik tew change a man’s politiks or religion, be sure yu hav got a better one to offer him.

Altho the world iz chuck full ov liars, thare iz but few men who dont prefer tew listen tew the truth.

No man ever got hiz bread by preaching wisdum. Philosophy iz a good thing tew preach, but a cussed poor thing tew liv on.

Tew be forgiven, weakens us; but tew forgiv others, weakens them.

I hav lived in this world jist long enuff tew look karefully the seckond time into things that i am the most certain ov the fust time.

Great men are seldum intimate. They are too jealous to love or esteem each other.

HARD TACK

I dont like tew speak disrespekfullness agin ennyboddys near relashuns, but i hav made up mi mind that Eve waz a phool, and that Adam waz a bigger one.

Too mutch religion iz wuss than none at all. Yu kant sho me a kuntry that haz existed yet, whare the people, all ov them, professed one religion and persekuted all other kinds, but what the religion ruined the country. (I paws for a repli.)

It iz a good thing for thoze who hav bin sinful tew turn over a nu leaf, but it often happens that, in doing this, they turn over two leaves at onst, and bekum so suddenly virtewous that they freeze up stiff.

It iz better tew kno nothing than tew kno jist enuff tew doubt and tew differ.

Charity is like a mule, a good servant but a bad master. When charity gits entire control ov a man’s affairs, it runs the affairs and the man both into the ground.

Selfishness iz the alter which every man sets up in hiz soul and asks hiz conscience to be high priest ov the cerimonys.

Cunning, at best, only duz the dirty work ov wisdum, and tharefore i dispize it.

Hartes and dimonds are the two strong suits for a woman to hold – klubs and spades for man.

I kant see what woman wants enny more rights for; she beat the fust man born into the world out ov a ded sure thing, and she kan beat the last one with the same kards.

The man who kan stand abuse kan generally stand prosperity. The only way tew beat the devil iz tew fite him with the Bible in one hand and a sword in the other.

If i could only praktiss az well az i kan preach, i would not thank a man tew warrent me in this world nor in the world tew cum.

The kream ov a joke dont never lay on the top, but alwus at the bottom.

Whenever i see a man anxious tew git into a fite that dont belong tew him, i am alwus anxious tew hav him, for i kno he iz certain tew be the wust whipped man in the party.

About all thare iz in mans natur that iz natral iz hiz sins, and about all thare iz in his natur that iz kultivated iz hiz way ov hiding thoze sins.

Pashunce iz oftner the result ov numbness than it iz ov principle.

I dont kno how it iz with other pholks, but with me, the fall ov the Roman empire iz a grate deal eazier tew bear than a fall on the ice.

I dont think thare ever waz a human being yet, who haz met deth without expekting in the last extremity tew be saved from it; even our Saviour uttered that wonderful exklamashun, “My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?”

I am glad ov one thing, that i am keenly alive tew mental and phisikal suffering – i had az soon be a hydraulik ram az tew be able to sit down and hav a big dubble tooth jerked out without winking.

Thare are but phew men weak enuff tew admit their jealousys – even a disgraced rooster, in a barn-yard, will git a little further off and begin tew crow up a new reputashun.

Thare haz been more men in this world burnt at the stake for serving the Lord than for serving the devil, and thare alwus will be.

I alwus did admire the malice ov the mule – if a freak ov fortune had made me as unfortunate among men az the mule iz amung animals, i would begin tew kick at things a mile and a haff off.

Men no doubt owe mutch ov their suckcess in this world tew chance, but chances dont go for a man, the man must go for the chances.

Econeme iz simply the art ov gitting the wuth ov our money.

Tew work iz the grate law ov natur – if the woodchuck dont dig a hole he wont hav one, it iz trew he may steal one, but then sum other woodchuck will have tew dig two.

Human happiness iz a dredful hard thing tew define. I hav seen a man, perfektly happy without enny shirt tew hiz back, bekum suddenly furious bekauze sumboddy had given him one, the collar ov which wan’t starched stiff enuff.

Thare iz a grate deal ov bad luk lieing around loose in this world, but it iz publick property, it dont belong tew ennyboddy in pertikular.

Things haz got so now, if a man stops, he iz a-going tew be run over, for thare aint no man ov consequentz enuff tew stop the whole proceshun.

If I waz a-going tew civilize a parcel of heathen on sum distant ile by the job, i should debate sum time in mi mind which tew send, dancing-masters or missionarys.

We speak ov “falling in love,” without always thinking that it iz the only way tew git in love – we all stumble into it, and kan seldum tell how or why.

One ov the very best things a man kan say when he haz reazonable doubts what he ought tew say, iz tew say nothing.

It iz a disgrace tew enny man tew be feared.

Sychophants are alwus the fust ones tew be sakrificed when disasters cum.

In a world like this, whare thare iz at least five false things to one that iz true, guessing iz poor bizzness.

The best kind ov advice tew foller iz that which agrees with our own opinyun.

SOLLUM THOUGHTS

The fear ov God iz the philosphy ov religion; the love ov God iz the charity of religion.

Hope iz a hen that lays more eggs than she kan hatch out.

Better leave yure child virtew than money; but this iz a sekret known only tew a few.