The story had held us, round the fire, sufficiently breathless, but except the obvious remark that it was gruesome, as, on Christmas Eve in an old house, a strange tale should essentially be . . .

Though there are some disagreeable things in Venice there is nothing so disagreeable as the visitors.

She took refuge on the firm ground of fiction, through which indeed there curled the blue river of truth.

I had an excellent repast - the best repast possible - which consisted simply of boiled eggs and bread and butter. It was the quality of these simple ingredients that made the occasion memorable. The eggs were so good that I am ashamed to say how many of them I consumed ....It might seem that an egg which has succeeded in being fresh has done all that can be reasonably expected of it.

We work in the dark -- we do what we can -- we give what we have.

All the same don't forget that you're young — blessedly young; be glad of it on the contrary and live up to it. Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life.

We must grant the artist his subject, his idea, his donn´e: our criticism is applied only to what he makes of it.