His socks compelled one's attention without losing one's respect.

The young have aspirations that never come to pass, the old have reminiscences of what never happened.

The cook was a good cook, as cooks go; and as cooks go, she went.

Think how many blameless lives are brightened by the blazing indiscretions of other people.

The man is a common murderer. A common murderer, possible, but a very uncommon cook.

A little inaccuracy sometimes saves a ton of explanation.

There are certain fixed rules that one observes for one's own comfort. For instance, never be flippantly rude to any inoffensive grey-bearded stranger that you may meet in pine forests or hotel smoking-rooms on the Continent. It always turns out to be the King of Sweden.