A mask tells us more than a face.

To me, Beauty is the wonder of wonders...It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances.

The best revenge is to live well.

Youth! There is nothing like youth. The middle-aged are mortgaged to Life. The old are in Life's lumber

The cities of America are inexpressibly tedious. The Bostonians take their learning too sadly; culture with them is an accomplishment rather than an atmosphere; their Hub, as they call it, is the paradise of prigs. Chicago is a sort of monster-shop, full of bustles and bores. Political life at Washington is like political life in a suburban vestry. Baltimore is amusing for a week, but Philadelphia is dreadfully provincial; and though one can dine in New York one could not dwell there.

As for omens, there is no such thing as an omen. Destiny does not send us heralds. She is too wise or too cruel for that.

What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty, and eat away its grace. they would defile it, and make it shameful. And yet the thing would still live on. It would be always alive. (Dorian Gray regarding his portrait)