There is no country in the world where machinery is so lovely as in America. It was not until I had seen the water-works at Chicago that I realised the wonders of machinery; the rise and fall of the steel rods, the symmetrical motion of the great wheels is the most beautiful rhythmic thing I have ever seen.

Give me the luxuries and I can dispense with the necessities.

One should never make one's entrance with a scandal. One should reserve that to give an interest to one's old age.

When one has never heard a man's name in the course of one's life, it speaks volumes for him; he must be quite respectable.

Always! That is the dreadful word ... it is a meaningless word, too.

Do not be afraid of the past. If people tell you that it is irrevocable, do not believe them.

I am too fond of reading books to care to write them.