I knew nothing but shadows and I thought them to be real.

Dullness is the coming of age of seriousness.

It takes great deal of courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still to love it.

The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant organ

A great poet, a really great poet, is the most unpoetical of all creatures. But inferior poets are absolutely fascinating.

On an occasion of this kind it becomes more than a moral duty to speak one's mind. It becomes a pleasure.

The only form of fiction in which real characters do not seem out of place is history. In novels they are detestable.