It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process.

Summer afternoon -- summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.

One might enumerate the items of high civilization, as it exists in other countries, which are absent from the texture of American life, until it should become a wonder to know what was left.

The time-honored bread-sauce of the happy ending.

The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life.

In art economy is always beauty.

People talk about the conscience, but it seems to me one must just bring it up to a certain point and leave it there. You can let your conscience alone if you're nice to the second housemaid.

Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself.

Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.

A man who pretends to understand women is ad manners. For him to really to understand them is bad morals.