Badgered, snubbed and scolded on the one hand; petted, flattered and indulged on the other-it is astonishing how many children work their way up to an honest manhood in spite of parents and friends. Human nature has an element of great toughness in it.

Beecher as a Humorist: Selections from the Published Works of Henry Ward Beecher (ed. 1887)