Then music was heard again; it was wonderfully sweet, like a child's voice, full of joy and expectation, swelling to the powerful tones of a full organ, sometimes soft and sweet, then like the sounds of a tempest, delightful and elevating to hear, yet strong enough to burst the stone tombs of the dead.
— from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. (Hans Christian) Andersen

For, oftentimes when school was not, and her calm leisure and calm little house were her own, Miss Peecher would commit to the confidential slate an imaginary description of how, upon a balmy evening at dusk, two figures might have been observed in the market-garden ground round the corner, of whom one, being a manly form, bent over the other, being a womanly form of short stature and some compactness, and breathed in a low voice the words, 'Emma Peecher, wilt thou be my own?' after which the womanly form's head reposed upon the manly form's shoulder, and the nightingales tuned up.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

I know we have a fashion of saying “such and such an event was the turning-point in my life,” but we shouldn't say it.
— from What Is Man? and Other Essays by Mark Twain

Most Critics, fond of some subservient art, Still make the Whole depend upon a Part: They talk of principles, but notions prize, And all to one lov'd Folly sacrifice.
— from The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems by Alexander Pope

"I'll send my bill, by-and-by, and tonight I'll give you something that will warm the cockles of your heart better than quarts of wine," said Laurie, beaming at her with a face of suppressed satisfaction at something.
— from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

By Here, a fair resting-place, full of summer sounds and scents.
— from Phaedrus by Plato

She is always either waxing or waning; sometimes her disc is curved into horns, sometimes it is divided into two equal portions, and at other times it is swelled out into a full orb; sometimes she appears spotted 163 and suddenly becomes very bright; she appears very large with her full orb and suddenly becomes invisible; now continuing during all the night, now rising late, and now aiding the light of the sun during a part of the day; becoming eclipsed and yet being visible while she is eclipsed; concealing herself at the end of the month and yet not supposed to be eclipsed 164 .
— from The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 1 (of 6) by the Elder Pliny

The universities, by their special studies in the field of social science, are seeking to accumulate and bring into the view of public opinion a larger body of attested fact upon which the public may base its opinion.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. (Ernest Watson) Burgess

A railroad man’s life is full of sudden surprises and situations calling for prompt, decisive and effective action.
— from Ralph on the Overland Express; Or, The Trials and Triumphs of a Young Engineer by Allen Chapman

The principal constituents of sweet almonds are a fixed oil, sugar, some albuminoid substances, and perhaps a small quantity of amygdalin or a substance akin to it.
— from Birds and Nature, Vol. 08, No. 4, November 1900 Illustrated by Color Photography by Various

Laid on a foundation of shifting sand and silt, it is held in place by its enormous weight, 600,000 tons.
— from The Mentor: Reclaiming the Desert, Vol. 6, Num. 17, Serial No. 165, October 15, 1918 by C. J. (Clarence John) Blanchard

About every five or six sheets a small quantity of ink should be taken; yet this rule is subject to some variation from the nature of the work and quality of the ink.
— from The American Printer: A Manual of Typography Containing practical directions for managing all departments of a printing office, as well as complete instructions for apprentices; with several useful tables, numerous schemes for imposing forms in every variety, hints to authors, etc. by Thomas MacKellar

The fold thus covering the head is in due time accompanied by similar folds of somatopleure, starting at some little distance behind the tail, and at some little distance from the side ( fig.
— from The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 3 (of 4) A Treatise on Comparative Embryology: Vertebrata by Francis M. (Francis Maitland) Balfour

All old grey histories hiding thy clear features, O secret spirit and sovereign, all men’s tales, Creeds woven of men thy children and thy creatures, They have woven for vestures of thee and for veils.
— from Songs Before Sunrise by Algernon Charles Swinburne

Mr. Breifogle really thought it a very unjustifiable thing in an army officer, supporting a family on so small a salary, to undergo the expense of sending George all the way to West Point and back, for back he felt sure he would have to come.
— from Cadet Days: A Story of West Point by Charles King