A single conversation across the table with a wise person is worth a month's study of books

A single conversation across the table with a wise person is worth a month's study of books

Conversation is an art in which man has all mankind for competitors.

Conversation is an art in which man has all mankind for competitors.

Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood

Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood

I love any discourse of rivers, and fish and fishing.

I love any discourse of rivers, and fish and fishing.

The Holy Land needs bridges, not walls.

The Holy Land needs bridges, not walls.

But conversation, choose what theme we may,
And chiefly when religion leads the way,
Should flow, like read more

But conversation, choose what theme we may,
And chiefly when religion leads the way,
Should flow, like waters after summer show'rs,
Not as if raised by mere mechanic powers.

Do you ever think if people heard our conversations they'd lock us up?" All the time.

Do you ever think if people heard our conversations they'd lock us up?" All the time.

A dearth of words a woman need not fear;
But 'tis a task indeed to learn to hear:
read more

A dearth of words a woman need not fear;
But 'tis a task indeed to learn to hear:
In that the skill of conversation lies;
That shows and makes you both polite and wise.

The difficulty with this conversation is that it's very different from most of the ones I've had of late. Which, read more

The difficulty with this conversation is that it's very different from most of the ones I've had of late. Which, as I explained, have mostly been with trees.