You could sometimes see her twelfth year in her cheeks, or her ninth sparkling from her eyes; and even her fifth would flit over the curves of her mouth now and then.

Of course poets have morals and manners of their own, and custom is no argument with them.

...the figure near at hand suffers on such occasions, because it shows up its sorriness without shade; while vague figures afar off are honored, in that their distance makes artistic virtues of their stains. In considering what Tess was not, he overlooked what she was, and forgot that the defective can be more than the entire.

I have felt lately, more and more, that my present way of living is bad in every respect.

Many of her thoughts were perfect syllogisms; unluckily they always remained thoughts. Only a few were irrational assumptions; but, unfortunately, they were the ones which most frequently grew into deeds

If a path to the better there be, it begins with a full look at the worst.

It was the touch of the imperfect upon the would-be perfect that gave the sweetness, because it was that which gave the humanity