It is a maudlin and indecent verity that comes out through the strength of wine.

To have his path made clear for him is the aspiration of every human being in our beclouded and tempestuous existence.

Each blade of grass has its spot on earth whence it draws its life, its strength; and so is man rooted to the land from which he draws his faith together with his life.

Vanity plays lurid tricks with our memory, and the truth of every passion wants some pretence to make it live.

The word 'ivory' rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! I've never seen anything so unreal in my life. And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion.

God is for men, and religion for women.

Everybody had to be thoroughly understood before being accepted.