Rich men's houses are seldom beautiful, rarely comfortable, and never original. It is a constant source of surprise to people of moderate means to observe how little a big fortune contributes to Beauty.

All I can say about my mind is that, like a fire carefully laid by a good housemaid, it is one that any match will light.

I do not say I was ever what I would call "plain," but I have the sort of face that bores me when I see it on other people.

It is easier to influence strong than weak characters in life.

The power to love what is purely abstract is given to few.

There are some people that you cannot change, you must either swallow them whole or leave them alone.

The ingrained idea that, because there is no king and they despise titles, the Americans are a free people is pathetically untrue. . . . There is a perpetual interference with personal liberty over there that would not be tolerated in England for a week.