When hospitality becomes an art it loses its very soul.

Of course we all know that Morris was a wonderful all-round man, but the act of walking round him has always tired me.

Not philosophy, after all, not humanity, just sheer joyous power of song, is the primal thing in poetry.

What a lurid life Oscar Wilde does lead - so full of extraordinary incidents. What a chance for the memoir writers of the next century

Improvisation is the essence of good talk. Heaven defend us from the talker who doles out things prepared for us; but let heaven not less defend us from the beautiful spontaneous writer who puts his trust in the inspiration of the moment.

You cannot make a man by standing a sheep on its hind-legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position you can make a crowd of men.

People seem to think there is something inherently noble and virtuous in the desire to go for a walk.