But I begin to think the chief difficulty in writing a book must be to keep out what does not belong to it.

Beauty and sadness always go together. Nature thought beauty too rich to go forth Upon the earth without a meet alloy.

Love makes everything lovely; hate concentrates itself on the one thing hated.

For when is the child the ideal child in our eyes and to our hearts? Is it not when with gentle hand he takes his father by the beard, and turns that father's face up to his brothers and sisters to kiss? when even the lovely selfishness of love-seeking has vanished, and the heart is absorbed in loving?

The face of the Son of God, who, instead of accepting the sacrifice of one of his creatures to satisfy his justice or support his dignity, gave himself utterly unto them, and therein to the Father by doing his lovely will; who suffered unto the death, not that men might not suffer, but that their suffering might be like his, and lead them up to his perfection.

But it is not the rich man only who is under the dominion of things; they too are slaves who, having no money, are unhappy from the lack of it.

Above all things, I delight in listening to stories, and sometimes in telling them.