Judgement holds in me a magisterial seat, at least it carefully tries to. It lets my feelings go their way, both hatred and friendship, even the friendship I bear myself, without being changed and corrupted by them.

Natural inclinations are assisted and reinforced by education, but they are hardly ever altered or overcome.

My art and profession is to live.

I want to be seen here in my simple, natural, ordinary fashion, without straining or artifice; for it is myself that I portray... I am myself the matter of my book.

I see men ordinarily more eager to discover a reason for things than to find out whether the things are so.

Women when they marry buy a cat in the bag.

I had rather complain of ill-fortune than be ashamed of victory.