Men and women existed before creeds; love is the only religion. [ Mrs. Campbell Praed ]

Novels teach the youthful mind to sigh after happiness that never existed. [ Goldsmith ]

We sometimes meet an original gentleman, who, if manners had not existed, would have invented them. [ Emerson ]

It is an impudent kind of sorcery to attempt to blind us with the smoke without convincing us that the fire has existed. [ Junius ]

If there were no readers there certainly would be no writers. Clearly, therefore, the existence of writers depends upon the existence of readers; and, of course, as the cause must be antecedent to the effect, readers existed before writers. Yet, on the other hand, if there were no writers there could be no readers, so it should appear that writers must be antecedent to readers. [ Paul Chatfield, M.D ]