for what is the gift of the poet and the artist except to see the sights which others cannot see and to hear the sounds that others cannot hear?

We do not want to think. We do not want to hear. We do not care about anything. Only give us a good dinner and plenty of money, and let us outshine our neighbors. There is the Nineteenth Century Gospel.

Nature I believe in. True art aims to, represent men and women, not as my little self would have them, but as they appear. My heroes and heroines I want not extreme types, all good or all bad; but human, mortal--partly good, partly bad. Realism I need. Pure mental abstractions have no significance for me.

Charity in various guises is an intruder the poor see often; but courtesy and delicacy are visitants with which they are seldom honored.

Familiarity is a magician that is cruel to beauty but kind to ugliness.

Fame nowadays is little else but notoriety.

The song that we hear with our ears is only the song that is sung in our hearts.