Here in England the welfare of the State depends on the conduct of our aristocracy.

What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?

It is a grand thing to rise in the world. The ambition to do so is the very salt of the earth. It is the parent of all enterprise, and the cause of all improvement.

High rank and soft manners may not always belong to a true heart.

I do like a little romance... just a sniff, as I call it, of the rocks and valleys. Of course, bread-and-cheese is the real thing. The rocks and valleys are no good at all, if you haven't got that.

The habit of reading is the only one I know in which there is no alloy. It lasts when all other pleasures fade.

Love is like any other luxury. You have no right to it unless you can afford it.