I have known some men possessed of good qualities which were very serviceable to others, but useless to themselves; like a sun-dial on the front of a house, to inform the neighbours and passengers, but not the owner within.

We often despise what is most useful to us.

It is a great misfortune to be of use to nobody; scarcely less to be of use to everybody.

A man cannot sleep in his cradle: whatever is useful must in the nature of life become useless.

Success can corrupt; usefulness can only exalt.

Utility is the great idol of the age, to which all powers must do service and all talents swear allegiance.

The difference between utility and utility plus beauty is the difference between telephone wires and the spiders web.

The sure way of knowing nothing about life is to try to make oneself useful.