I have destroyed empires for a bon-bon at great expense of nervous energy." "That's very likely true," said Carlyle.

"I should think your feats of strength would have wrecked your imagination in time." "Not so," said Munchausen.

"On the contrary, continuous exercise served only to make it stronger.

But, as I was going to say, in this life we have none of these fearful obstacles--it is a life of leisure; and if I want a bird and a cold bottle at any time, instead of placing my life in peril and jeopardizing the peace of all mankind to get it, I have only to summon before me the memory of some previous bird and cold bottle, dine thereon like a well-ordered citizen, and smoke the spirit of the best cigar my imagination can conjure up." "You miss my point," said Shakespeare.

"I don't say this life is worse or better than the other we used to live.