Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.

Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.

Wit is the clash and reconcilement of incongruities; the meeting
of extremes round a corner.

Wit is the clash and reconcilement of incongruities; the meeting
of extremes round a corner.

This man [Chesterfield] I thought had been a lord among wits; but
I find he is only a wit read more

This man [Chesterfield] I thought had been a lord among wits; but
I find he is only a wit among lords.

Brevity is the body and soul of wit.

Brevity is the body and soul of wit.

He who has provoked the shaft of wit, cannot complain that he smarts from it.

He who has provoked the shaft of wit, cannot complain that he smarts from it.

I am a fool, I know it; and yet, Heaven help me, I'm poor enough
to be a wit.

I am a fool, I know it; and yet, Heaven help me, I'm poor enough
to be a wit.

We grant, although he had much wit,
H' was very shy of using it,
As being loth read more

We grant, although he had much wit,
H' was very shy of using it,
As being loth to wear it out,
And therefore bore it not about;
Unless on holy days or so,
As men their best apparel do.

Ev'n wit's a burthen, when it talks too long.

Ev'n wit's a burthen, when it talks too long.

Wit is far more often a shield than a lance

Wit is far more often a shield than a lance