"And it isn't to be looked for," said uncle Pullet, with unwonted independence of idea, "as your own family should pay more for things nor they'll fetch.
— from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

HE sun looked bright the morning after, to every eye in the village but Le Fever ’s and his afflicted son’s; the hand of death pressed heavy upon his eye-lids,——and hardly could the wheel at the cistern turn round its circle,—when my uncle Toby, who had rose up an hour before his wonted time, entered the lieutenant’s room, and without preface or apology, sat himself down upon the chair by the bed-side, and, independently of all modes and customs, opened the curtain in the manner an old friend and brother officer would have done it, and asked him how he did,—how he had rested in the night,—what was his complaint,—where was his pain,—and what he could do to help him:——and without giving him time to answer any one of the enquiries, went on, and told him of the little plan which 156 he had been concerting with the corporal the night before for him.—— ——You shall go home directly, Le Fever, said my uncle Toby, to my house,—and we’ll send for a doctor to see what’s the matter,—and
— from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

While indulging in these erratic reflections, he discerned some one coming, looking like a black apparition, who Chia Jui readily concluded, in his mind, must be lady Feng; so that, unmindful of distinguishing black from white, he as soon as that person arrived in front of him, speedily clasped her in his embrace, like a ravenous tiger pouncing upon its prey, or a cat clawing a rat, and cried: "My darling sister, you have made me wait till I'm ready to die."
— from Hung Lou Meng, or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese Novel, Book I by Xueqin Cao

166 My uncle Toby took down the sword from the crook, where it had hung untouched ever since the lieutenant’s death, and delivered it to the corporal to brighten up;——and having detained Le Fever a single fortnight to equip him, and contract for his passage to Leghorn, —he put the sword into his hand.——If thou art brave, Le Fever, said my uncle Toby, this will not fail thee,——but Fortune, said he (musing a little),——Fortune may——
— from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

646. seize the occasion, strike while the iron is hot, battre le fer sur l'enclume[Fr], make hay while the sun shines, seize the present hour, take time by the forelock, prendre la balle au bond[Fr].
— from Roget's Thesaurus by Peter Mark Roget

Chief among these free-thinkers, and, sooth to say, [Pg xlix] free-livers—though in this respect they were less distinguished from the orthodox—was Brunetto Latini, for some time Secretary to the Republic, and the foremost Italian man of letters of his day.
— from The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Non fumum ex fulgore, sed ex fumo dare lucem —Not to educe smoke from splendour, but light from smoke.
— from Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources Including Phrases, Mottoes, Maxims, Proverbs, Definitions, Aphorisms, and Sayings of Wise Men, in Their Bearing on Life, Literature, Speculation, Science, Art, Religion, and Morals, Especially in the Modern Aspects of Them by Wood, James, Rev.

He may, however, with the Rajput, whose independence of mind places him above restraint, and whose hospitality 146 and love of character will always afford free communication to those who respect his opinions and his prejudices, and who are devoid of that overweening opinion of self, which imagines that nothing can be learned from such friendly intercourse.
— from Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 1 of 3 or the Central and Western Rajput States of India by James Tod

“If we up and told ’em one-half of what we’ve been through,” suggested Bluff, “I reckon they’d either think us descended from old Baron Munchausen, who could tell the biggest whoppers ever heard; or else they’d believe we’d broken loose from some lunatic asylum.”
— from The Outdoor Chums in the Big Woods; Or, Rival Hunters of Lumber Run by Quincy Allen

Mr. Bonar Law fought shy of the suggestion and preferred Sir Edward Carson's idea that it was better for each country to leave other countries alone.
— from Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, 1920-05-05 by Various

Ellen was slightly dismayed; but presently recollected her arrival had not been looked for so soon, and probably the preparations for it had not been completed.
— from The Wide, Wide World by Susan Warner

From the Anio, drawn up the hillside at incalculable cost and labour, a thousand rills gush downward, terrace by terrace, channelling the stone rails of the balusters, leaping from step to step, dripping into mossy conchs, flashing in spray from the horns of sea-gods and the jaws of mythical monsters, or forcing themselves in irrepressible overflow down the ivy-matted banks.
— from Italian Villas and Their Gardens by Edith Wharton

Eight were already dead, and their bodies, for want of burial, lay frozen stark beneath the snowdrifts of the river, hidden from the prying eyes of the savages.
— from The Mariner of St. Malo : A chronicle of the voyages of Jacques Cartier by Stephen Leacock

He hoped that the period of waiting would not be long, for stillness and silence taxed the negroes more than anything else he could have demanded of them.
— from Tom Willoughby's Scouts: A Story of the War in German East Africa by Herbert Strang

"'Tis only what was to be looked for," says Hallbjorn.
— from The Story of Burnt Njal: The Great Icelandic Tribune, Jurist, and Counsellor by Unknown

He leaped from his wheel and seemed to be looking for some place to try to scale the face of the bluff.
— from Frank Merriwell's Alarm; Or, Doing His Best by Burt L. Standish

He had slept but little for some nights past, and his long rides and exertions had worn him out at last.
— from The Scourge of God: A Romance of Religious Persecution by John Bloundelle-Burton

After coming in the door he made a circle of the room and seemed to be looking for something, and when he approached the door to make his exit he stopped still, and with a gesture of his hand remarked, `I have taken all you have.' On the following morning, about 9:30 o'clock, I received a telegram from my wife announcing the death of our only baby.''
— from Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted; Or, What's in a Dream A Scientific and Practical Exposition by Gustavus Hindman Miller