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 LyttonChildhood and genius have the same master organ in common - inquisitiveness.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron LyttonBetter than fame is still the wish for fame, the constant training for a glorious strife.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton