A man's grammar, like Caesar's wife, must not only be pure, but above suspicion of impurity.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain, but, once conceived, it haunted me day and night.

The result of law inviolate is perfection–right–negative happiness. The result of law violate is imperfection, wrong, positive pain.

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

I have not only labored solely for the benefit of others (receiving for myself a miserable pittance), but have been forced to model my thoughts at the will of men whose imbecility was evident to all but themselves

I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of very simple natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us, still the analysis of this power lies among considerations beyond our depth. It was possible, I reflected, that a mere different arrangement of the particulars of the scene, of the details of the picture, would be sufficient to modify, or perhaps to annihilate its capacity for sorrowful impression.

When a madman appears thoroughly sane, indeed, it is high time to put him in a straight jacket.