Like the Spartans, Plato was afraid of the evils which might be introduced into his state by intercourse with foreigners; but he also shrinks from the utter exclusiveness of Sparta, and is not unwilling to allow visitors of a suitable age and rank to come from other states to his own, as he also allows citizens of his own state to go to foreign countries and bring back a report of them.
— from Laws by Plato

For a whole hour we talked of love, and I am to go to call on her on Saturday, the day after to-morrow.”
— from Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac

Even after gazing at the spectacle for a couple of hours or so, the visitor would still find nothing to say, save: “Lord of Heaven, but what a prospect!”
— from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol

For a moment of intense terror she paused upon the giddy pinnacle, as if in contemplation of her own sublimity, then trembled and tottered, and—came down.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition Table Of Contents And Index Of The Five Volumes by Edgar Allan Poe

'Take care of him, officer,' said the old gentleman, raising his hands instinctively; 'he'll fall down.' 'Stand away, officer,' cried Fang; 'let him, if he likes.
— from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

In the last case there was hope from time, however slight it might be—in the first case, on her own showing, there was no hope at all.
— from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

75 The fugitives were stopped and rallied by the presence and authority of Julian, who, careless of his own safety, threw himself before them, and urging every motive of shame and honor, led them back against the victorious enemy.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes) by Edward Gibbon

Let us assume that the distance from the centre of any square to the centre of the next in the same horizontal or vertical line is 2 inches, and that the queen travels from the centre of her original square to the centre of the one at which she rests.
— from Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney

I would give much to be able to wash out the memories of that night—to be proved mistaken—to be convicted of haste, of sternness—" The tears rushed into her eyes.
— from Beatrice Boville and Other Stories by Ouida

The pretence was a wish to pay for the despatch into the country of his own servants, that they might not interfere with the flight.
— from Sir Walter Ralegh: A Biography by W. (William) Stebbing

Commence the exhibition of the trick by requesting one of the spectators to mark a dime (or cent) of his own, so that he will be sure to know it again.
— from The Practical Magician and Ventriloquist's Guide A practical manual of fireside magic and conjuring illusions, containing also complete instructions for acquiring and practising the art of ventriloquism. by Anonymous

She must know that the real power is not in the weapons themselves, but in the man who wields those weapons; and when he, in his eagerness for power, multiplies his weapons at the cost of his own soul, then it
— from Nationalism by Rabindranath Tagore

Yet do we find it meet, and such is our pleasure, that you nevertheless forbear the pronouncing thereof until you have made your personal return to our presence and reported to us your proceedings and opinions, unless you find it may prejudice your principal commission or hinder our service to advise us and abide our further answer.
— from The Last Days of Mary Stuart, and the journal of Bourgoyne her physician by Samuel Cowan

In short, the wily old Jew had the boy in his toils; and, having prepared his mind, by solitude and gloom, to prefer any society to the [309] companionship of his own sad thoughts in such a dreary place, was now slowly instilling into his soul the poison which he hoped would blacken it and change its hue for ever.
— from Oliver Twist, Vol. 1 (of 3) by Charles Dickens

Moreover, as we are assured that God is everywhere present, and preserves and governs everything, it follows that he is so careful of his own servants, that not a hair of their heads can fall to the ground (Matt. 10:30; Luke 21:18; Acts 27:34) without his permission; and that he preserveth and keepeth us in the midst of our enemies, as we have it frequently expressed in the Psalms.
— from True Christianity A Treatise on Sincere Repentence, True Faith, the Holy Walk of the True Christian, Etc. by Johann Arndt