Better live on the ragged edge, better gnaw the file forever!
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James

As usual, Beth lay on the sofa, and Laurie sat in a low chair close by, amusing her with all sorts of gossip; for she depended on her weekly "spin," and he never disappointed her.
— from Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott

I had not been long on the road, before I noticed that other people—by twos and threes—appeared to be travelling in the same direction as myself.
— from The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

One which is the next best, and has the advantage of compelling the citizens to look to their characters:—Let B there be a general rule that every one shall enter into voluntary contracts at his own risk, and there will be less of this scandalous money-making, and the evils of which we were speaking will be greatly lessened in the State.
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato

Seek out King John, and fall before his feet; For if the French be lords of this loud day, He means to recompense the pains you take By cutting off your heads.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

The δόξα, the bright light over the mercy-seat (Rom. ix.
— from St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon A revised text with introductions, notes and dissertations by J. B. (Joseph Barber) Lightfoot

"You have at all events taken your share in using good practical precautions for the town, and that is the best mode of asking for protection," said Lydgate, with a strong distaste for the broken metaphor and bad logic of the banker's religion, somewhat increased by the apparent deafness of his sympathy.
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot

The maids confessed that they had gone to a party and that the street-door had been left open till they returned.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Lincoln and the Pattisons, Balliol and Mr. Jowett, and the Bodleian Library, outside the influences and affections of my own home, stand in the forefront of what memory looks back on as a broad and animated scene.
— from A Writer's Recollections — Volume 1 by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

It must be done, Sire; the Marquise loves you as much as it is possible for you to be loved; of this, all that she has sacrificed is a proof.
— from Memoirs of Madame la Marquise de Montespan — Complete by Madame de Montespan

Terrain: very low-lying and narrow coral atolls Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100% Irrigated land: NA sq km Environment: current issues: since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, all water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities natural hazards: severe tropical storms are rare international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea @Tuvalu, People Population: 9,831 (July 1994 est.)
— from The 1994 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

He could hardly believe that this tall, bronzed, powerful young man was the Frank O'Connell he had watched about the village, as a boy—pale, dejected, and with but little of the fire of life in him.
— from Peg O' My Heart by J. Hartley Manners

The second room, painted by Pinturicchio , has beautiful lunettes of the Annunciation, Adoration of the Magi, Resurrection, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Ghost, and Assumption of the Virgin.
— from Walks in Rome by Augustus J. C. (Augustus John Cuthbert) Hare

If, when once washed, they would remain clean forever and ever, (which they ought in all reason to do, considering how much trouble it is,) there would be less occasion to grumble; but no sooner is it done, than it requires to be done again.
— from Love Letters of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Volume 2 (of 2) by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Von Brockdorff-Giespert believed, and with good reason, that he was on the Black List of the British Admiralty.
— from The Thick of the Fray at Zeebrugge, April 1918 by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman

On the other hand, if side 2 be .001 thicker it will insure a better lockup of the matrices.
— from Linotype Manual Giving Detailed Instructions of the Proper Adjustment and Care of the Linotype by Various

In attempting to answer these questions, sight must not be lost of the fact that the very nature of electricity is in itself almost sufficient to baffle any effort put forth to ascertain from lightning, as such, its whence and its whither.
— from Scientific American Supplement, No. 455, September 20, 1884 by Various