I heard a man the other day--a man who had never spoken to your father--talk as if he knew all about him." "I think I understand," said Davie.
To confess ignorance is to lose respect with the ignorant who would appear to know.

But there is a worse thing than to lose the respect even of the wise--to deserve to lose it; and that he does who would gain a respect that does not belong to him.

But a confession of ignorance is a ground of respect with a well-bred child, and even with many ordinary boys will raise a man's influence: they recognize his loyalty to the truth.

Act-truth is infinitely more than fact-truth; the love of the truth infinitely beyond the knowledge of it.
They went out together, and when they had gone the round of the place outside, Davie would have taken him over the house; but Donal said they would leave something for another time, and made him lie down for ten minutes.

This the boy thought a great hardship, but Donal saw that he needed to be taught to rest.