God knows that a mother needs fortitude and courage and tolerance and flexibility and patience and firmness and nearly every other brave aspect of the human soul. But because I happen to be a parent of almost fiercely maternal nature, I praise casualness. It seems to me the rarest of virtues. It is useful enough when children are small. It is useful to the point of necessity when they are adolescents.

Let others, worn with living / And living's aftermath, / Take Sleep to heal the heart's distress, / Take Love to be their comfortress, / Take Song or Food or Fancy Dress, / But I shall take a Bath.

The Enemy, who wears her mother's usual face and confidential tone, has access; doubtless stares into her writing case and listens on the phone.

Stir the eggnog, lift the toddy, Happy New Year everybody.

Marriage was all a woman's idea and for man's acceptance of the pretty yoke, it becomes us to be grateful.

If childhood is still a state, it is now chiefly a state of confusion.

There are books that one needs maturity to enjoy just as there are books an adult can come on too late to savor.