Bold knaves thrive without one grain of sense,
But good men starve for want of impudence.

Boldness is a mask for fear, however great.

the old maxim... "there are three things necessary to success in life--Impudence! Impudence! Impudence!

Are you always a smartass?'

Nope. Sometimes I'm asleep.

What God says is best, indeed is best, though all men in the world are against it. Seeing, then, that God prefers his religion; seeing God prefers a tender conscience; seeing they that make themselves fools for the kingdom of heaven are wisest; and that the poor man that loveth Christ is richer than the greatest man in the world that hates him: Shame, depart, thou art an enemy to my salvation.

It may be a species of impudence to think that the way you understand God is the way God is. (60).