Who said “People never improve unless they look to some standard or example higher and better than…”?

“The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands.”

“There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.”

“He was always smoothing and polishing himself, and in the end he became blunt before he was sharp.”

“The way for a young man to rise, is to improve himself every way he can, never suspecting that any body wishes to hinder him.”

“Self-help books are making life downright unsafe. Women desperate to catch a man practice all the ploys recommended by these authors. Bump into him, trip over him, knock him down, spill something on him, scald him, but meet him.”

“Never be so brief as to become obscure.”

“Between two evils, choose neither; between two goods, choose both.”

“Facts are God's arguments; we should be careful never to misunderstand or pervert them.”

“Accuracy of statement is one of the first elements of truth; inaccuracy is a near kin to falsehood.”

“Age does not depend upon years, but upon temperament and health. Some men are born old, and some never grow so.”

“We should be as careful of the books we read, as of the company we keep. The dead very often have more power than the living.”