Mr. Spencer, at the opening of his Study of Sociology, makes an onslaught on the 'great-man theory' of history, from which a few passages may be quoted:— "The genesis of societies by the action of great men may be comfortably believed so long as, resting in general { 233} notions, you do not ask for particulars.
— from The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James

“I thought,” said he, “to have asked five pieces more, but hearing you were bubbled of eighteen last night, I presumed you might be out of cash, and resolved to model my demand accordingly.”
— from The Adventures of Roderick Random by T. (Tobias) Smollett

Applications for passage must be approved by the committee before tickets are issued, and can be made to the undersigned.
— from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain

[for goodness and justice are moral properties 132 ], which are presupposed in reference to such a final purpose, must be thought in Him.—In this way moral Teleology supplies the deficiency in physical Teleology , and first establishes a Theology ; because the latter, if it did not borrow from the former without being observed, but were to proceed consistently, could only found a Demonology , which is incapable of any definite concept.
— from Kant's Critique of Judgement by Immanuel Kant

No such difficulty is complained of while the creed is still fighting for its existence: even the weaker combatants then know and feel what they are fighting for, and the difference between it and other doctrines; and in that period of every creed's existence, not a few persons may be found, who have realised its fundamental principles in all the forms of thought, have weighed and considered them in all their important bearings, and have experienced the full effect on the character, which belief in that creed ought to produce in a mind thoroughly imbued with it.
— from On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

Wherefore desire arising from pleasure is, by the fact of pleasure being felt, increased or helped; on the contrary, desire arising from pain is, by the fact of pain being felt, diminished or hindered; hence the force of desire arising from pleasure must be defined by human power together with the power of an external cause, whereas desire arising from pain must be defined by human power only.
— from Ethics by Benedictus de Spinoza

A few paragraphs may be quoted here.
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James

We were to be "merely a family party," Mrs. Badger's note said; and we found no lady there but
— from Bleak House by Charles Dickens

The curtain rose on the ballet, which was one of those excellent specimens of the Italian school, admirably arranged and put on the stage by Henri, who has established for himself a great reputation throughout Italy for his taste and skill in the choreographic art—one of those masterly productions of grace, method, and elegance in which the whole corps de ballet , from the principal dancers to the humblest supernumerary, are all engaged on the stage at the same time; and a hundred and fifty persons may be seen exhibiting the same attitude, or elevating the same arm or leg with a simultaneous movement, that would lead you to suppose that but one mind, one act of volition, influenced the moving mass.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo, Illustrated by Alexandre Dumas

A few principles may be fairly drawn from the general experience.
— from Rural Wealth and Welfare: Economic Principles Illustrated and Applied in Farm Life by Geo. T. (George Thompson) Fairchild

De Marsac began as though it were only a fancy play, my brother with all the seriousness of his nature.
— from The Messenger of the Black Prince by Thomas A. H. Mawhinney

The desire for vengeance does not arise from personal motives, but is doubtless due to the complete identification of the Psalmist with the cause of God and righteousness, and to his burning indignation against the cruelty, injustice, and craftiness of the impenitent wicked.
— from The Evolution of Old Testament Religion by W. E. (William Edwin) Orchard

A fourth pair (not represented in Ophiuroids) appears on the inner side of the anterior pair forming an anterointernal pair ( e ), and in the Spatangoid Pluteus a fifth pair may be added on the external side of the anterior pair forming an anteroexternal pair ( g ).
— from The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 2 (of 4) A Treatise on Comparative Embryology: Invertebrata by Francis M. (Francis Maitland) Balfour

No time is spent in reconnoitre and playing for position; but if the battlements be strong, a faulty place must be located if there be one.
— from Is the Devil a Myth? by C. F. (Charles Franklin) Wimberly

Prince Charles announced his engagement in the following words to the Roumanian nation: “When I accepted a throne which the love and confidence of a whole nation entrusted to me, I understood that the uppermost thought in the unanimous election of a foreign Prince must be to establish a lasting dynasty in Roumania.
— from The Life of Carmen Sylva (Queen of Roumania) by Natalie Stackelberg

A few points may be mentioned in which it differed from that of his predecessors in Italy, from the pictures of the Renaissance period, and lastly from those of our own time; but when all is said, the peculiar beauty of the colouring, the simplicity and purity of the feeling, the strength and directness of the painter's aim, and the unstudied grace of his compositions will remain to baffle any description that can be given.
— from Giotto by Harry Quilter

Very soon after they had taken possession of their new dwelling, they made a circuit through the meetings of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, holding a few public meetings by the way: and the next summer they undertook a more extensive religious visit--viz., to the six northern counties of England.
— from Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel by John Yeardley

Of course, if he had meant to pay her a compliment—such as a foolish person might be pleased with, but not she, thank goodness—he would have pretended to think her as young as Minola.
— from The Galaxy, May, 1877 Vol. XXIII.—May, 1877.—No. 5. by Various