Insincerity in a man's own heart must make all his enjoyments, all that concerns him, unreal

(These passages were written in Hawthorne's American Note-Books between 6 December 1837 and 11 May 1838.)

A man will undergo great toil and hardship for ends that must be many years distant, as wealth or fame but none for an end that may be close at hand, -- as the joys of heaven.

Insincerity in a man's own heart must make all his enjoyments, all that concerns him, unreal; so that his whole life must seem like a merely dramatic representation. And this would be the case, even though he were surrounded by true-hearted relatives and friends.

A company of men, none of whom have anything worth hoping for on earth, yet who do not look forward to anything beyond earth!