Long letters

From chapter 10 of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice:

"...a person who can write a long letter, with ease, cannot write ill."

I have loved this quote for so long. We are a modern people who love all things concise. I've never been able to write anything but long so I'm very happy to have Ms. Austen's approval. I suppose this approval actually comes from Miss Bingley, but I'll take what I can get!

Complete truth

Emma by Jane Austen

"Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken."

Complete truth...what's that? Between out-and-out lies, deception, white lies, agenda, bad information, bending the truth, softening-the-blow and propaganda; I'm very sure Miss Austen was right.

Miss Jenkyns

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

"Miss Jenkyns wore a cravat, and a little bonnet like a jockey-cap, and altogether had the appearance of a strong-minded woman; although she would have despised the modern idea of women being equal to men. Equal, indeed! she knew they were superior."

Elegant Economy!

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

In Cranford...

...economy was always "elegant," and money-spending always "vulgar and ostentatious"; a sort of sour-grapeism which made us very peaceful and satisfied.

Beware...

I was thinking about the "ides of March" today since it comes tomorrow. So I started browsing Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

From Act II, Scene 2:

"CAESAR: Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once."

Untidy human undertakings

“The beginnings and endings of all human undertakings are untidy” - from chapter one of Over the River by John Galsworthy

I'll tell you what was untidy: my reaction to this, the very last of the nine volume Forsyte Saga. If it's possible to fall in love with books, I certainly fell in love with these. So my untidy crying was truly ugly as I read the closing pages of this novel. I never wanted it to end.

John Galsworthy, you are still beautiful.

The Old Order Changeth

Over the River (John Galsworthy)

Uncle Adrian on the future:

"'The old order changeth' – yes, but we ought to be able to preserve beauty and dignity, and the sense of service, and manners – things that have come very slowly, and can be made to vanish very fast if we aren't set on preserving them somehow."

Clare on unrequited love

Over the River (John Galsworthy)

"Even when they are not in love, women are grateful for being loved."

Sadly very, very true.