“Mere words.. Was there anything so real as words?”

“Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?”

“Actions are the first tragedy in life, words are the second. Words are perhaps the worst. Words are merciless. . .”

“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”

“Always! That is a dreadful word. It makes me shudder when I hear it. Women are so fond of using it. They spoil every romance by trying to make it last forever. It is a meaningless word, too. The only difference between a caprice and a life-long passion is that the caprice lasts a little longer.”

“Appearance blinds, whereas words reveal.”

“I never quarrel with actions. My one quarrel is with words”