“Words have weight, sound and appearance; it is only by considering these that you can write a sentence that is good to look at and good to listen to.”

“You know, there are two good things in life, freedom of thought and freedom of action.”

“...it is well known that to praise someone whose rivalry you do not dread is often a very good way of putting a spoke in the wheel of someone whose rivalry you do.”

“To write simply is as difficult as to be good.”

“It does the heart good to look at you.”

“The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones.”

“I adore good food as I adore all the other pleasant things of life, and because I have that gift I am able to look upon the future with equanimity.”“Why?” asked Alec.“Because a love for good food is the only thing that remains with man when he grows old. Love? What is love when you are five and fifty and can no longer hide the disgraceful baldness of your pate. Ambition? What is ambition when you have discovered that honours are to the pushing and glory to the vulgar. Finally we must all reach an age when every passion seems vain, every desire not worth the trouble of achieving it; but then there still remain to the man with a good appetite three pleasures each day, his breakfast, his luncheon, and his dinner.”