This solitude opressed her; she was accustomed to have her thoughts confirmed by others or, at all events, contradicted; it was too dreadful not to know whether she was thinking right or wrong.

Letters have to pass two tests before they can be classed as good: they must express the personality both of the writer and of the recipient.

Hardship is vanishing, but so is style, and the two are more closely connected than the present generation supposes.

Truth is a flower in whose neighbourhood others must wither.

The armour of falsehood is subtly wrought out of darkness, and hides a man not only from others, but from his own soul.

Of course he despised the world as a whole; every thoughtful man should; it is almost a test of refinement.

But why I cry out against Rubens is because he painted undressed people instead of naked ones.