Rich men's houses are seldom beautiful, rarely comfortable, and never original. It is a constant source of surprise to people of moderate means to observe how little a big fortune contributes to Beauty.

She tells enough white lies to ice a wedding cake.

There are big men, men of intellect, intellectual men, men of talent and men of action; but the great man is difficult to find, and it needs /apart from discernment /a certain greatness to find him.

It is easier to influence strong than weak characters in life

The first element of greatness is fundamental humbleness (this should not be confused with servility); the second is freedom from self; the third is intrepid courage, which, taken in its widest interpretation, generally goes with truth; and the fourth /the power to love /although I have put it last, is the rarest.

No one ever pruned me. If you have been sunned through and through like an apricot on a wall from your earliest days, you are oversensitive to any withdrawal of heat.