Great Throughts Treasury

"One of the most serious thoughts that life provokes is the reflection that we can never tell, at the time, whether a word, a look, a touch, an occurrence of any kind, is trivial or important."

"One of the most adventurous things left us is to go to bed. For no one can lay a hand on our dreams."

"I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them."

"There are two words for everything."

"There can be no defence like elaborate courtesy."

"Americans are people who prefer the Continent to their own country, but refuse to learn its languages."

"The art of life is to show your hand. There is no diplomacy like candor. You may lose by it now and then, but it will be a loss well gained if you do. Nothing is so boring as having to keep up a deception."

"Human nature is rarely so amusing as when trying to get a house off its hands. Women at this task can be untruthful enough, but their untruth lacks the infusion of candor which a skillful male liar can introduce."