As a general rule, people who flagrantly pretend to anything are the reverse of that which they pretend to. A man who sets up for a saint is sure to be a sinner; and a man who boasts that he is a sinner is sure to have some feeble, maudlin, snivelling bit of saintship about him which is enough to make him a humbug.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron LyttonVanity, indeed, is the very antidote to conceit; for while the former makes us all nerve to the opinion of others, the latter is perfectly satisfied with its opinion of itself.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron LyttonJewelry and profuse ornaments are unmistakable evidences of vulgarity.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton