“Lucy Ashton, in short, was involved in those mazes of the imagination which are most dangerous to the young and the sensitive. Time, it is true, absence, change of place and of face, might probably have destroyed the illusion in her instance as it has done in many others.”

“No one places her dreams in the hands of those who might destroy them.”

“Poor woman! She probably thought change of air might agree with many of her children.”

“The object most interesting to me for the residue of my life, will be to see you both developing daily those principles of virtue and goodness which will make you valuable to others and happy in yourselves, and acquiring those talents and that degree of science which will guard you at all times against ennui, the most dangerous poison of life. A mind always employed is always happy. This is the true secret, the grand recipe for felicity....In a world which furnishes so many employments which are useful, and so many which are amusing, it is our own fault if we ever know what ennui is...”

“George Bernard Shaw once said: “Capitalism has destroyed ourbelief in any effective power but that of self interest backed by force.”When liberals make the argument that capitalism is the cause of allof our problems, they are either speaking out of abject ignoranceor being totally disingenuous to protect their own political interests.We have not had true free-market capitalism in this country on anywide scale. Where we have had economic successes in this nation’shistory, it has been those times when people have done somethingoutside of the government’s involvement. Every single time the federalgovernment has been involved, it has created chaos, waste, andcorruption. The historical record is overwhelmingly one of grossincompetence.”

“The next day, when I was sober, I thought again about the three of us, and about time's many paradoxes. For instance: that when we are young and sensitive, we are also at our most hurtful; whereas when the blood begins to slow, when we feel less sharply, when we are more armoured and have learnt how to bear hurt, we tread more carefully.”