“Europeans condemned Chinese foot binding, but any society that had invented the corset had a lot to answer for.”

“Whoever had invented long division has a lot to answer for.”

“It is sad to tell, but after having tried society, which had caused his misfortune, he tried Providence which created society, and condemned it also.”

“Matriarchy is a time-honored staple for any writer looking to invent an exotic society.”

“Michelle Dockery is Mary: There was one scene where I had a corset visible, so it was made for me. After we had filmed it, we removed all the details - flowers and ribbons - to make it a plain corset and then I could wear that as it was a perfect fit. I'm taller than most actresses, so most corsets tend to be to short in the body.”

“He was an artist when he saw society: it never crossed his mind that society had to be like this; had any right, had any business being like this. A car in the street. Why? Why cars? This is what an artist has to be: harassed to the point of insanity or stupefaction by first principles.”