The Return of the Native (1878) and The Woodlanders are generally regarded as Hardy's masterpieces; but two novels of our own day, Tess of the D'Ubervilles (1891) and Jude the Obscure (1895), are better expressions of Hardy's literary art and of his gloomy philosophy.
— from English Literature Its History and Its Significance for the Life of the English-Speaking World by William J. (William Joseph) Long

Strange, because they are so frankly and hysterically insane—like all dreams: a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, yet required his other children to earn it; who gave his angels painless lives, yet cursed his other children with biting miseries and maladies of mind and body; who mouths justice and invented hell—mouths mercy and invented hell—mouths Golden Rules, and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and invented hell; who mouths morals to other people and has none himself; who frowns upon crimes, yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man's acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally, with altogether divine obtuseness, invites this poor, abused slave to worship him!...
— from The Mysterious Stranger, and Other Stories by Mark Twain

Virtue is of so little regard in these costermongers' times that true valour is turn'd berod; pregnancy is made a tapster, and his quick wit wasted in giving reckonings; all the other gifts appertinent to man, as the malice of this age shapes them, are not worth a gooseberry.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

The conqueror immediately announced the victory of the gospel, requested an orthodox patriarch, and so warmly professed his friendship to the Roman empire, that Justinian was flattered by the hope of diverting the silk trade through the channel of Abyssinia, and of exciting the forces of Arabia against the Persian king.
— 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

If you interrupted her she would either go right along without noticing, or answer with a couple of words, and go back and say the sentence over again.
— from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain

And Mrs. March smoothed the soft cheek, which suddenly grew rosy as Meg answered slowly... "Yes.
— from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

devote themselves, it is not surprising to find sporting works composed by writers of the greatest renown and of the highest rank.
— from Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by P. L. Jacob

But though there were different names for God in all the different languages in the world and God understood what all the people who prayed said in their different languages still God remained always the same God and God’s real name was God.
— from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

So she spent a pleasant morning, singing with Margaret, loitering about the garden with Mr. Adair, while Margaret and Sir Philip gathered roses, and enjoying to the full all the sweet influences of peace, refinement, and prosperity by which she was surrounded.
— from A True Friend: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant

And loud the laugh gied round a' hell
— from Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Robert Burns

Then they too grow rich and spend their money on red cloth and trinkets.
— from Steep Trails California, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, the Grand Canyon by John Muir

His death had gratified the blood-lust of his foes, his young Democratic successor would amend that "infamous election law" and was plainly striving for a just administration, and so bitterness began swiftly to abate, tolerance grew rapidly, and the State went earnestly on trying to cure its political ills.
— from The Heart of the Hills by Fox, John, Jr.

The poet gives us in these words the reason, why such gross Ribaldry, as we know the Atellanes consisted of, was endured by the politest age of Rome.
— from The Works of Richard Hurd, Volume 1 (of 8) by Richard Hurd

It was hard to speak to a person who kept going round and round, but at every third turn Handy managed to catch Tip-Topper's eye and at last he seemed to catch her idea.
— from Handy Mandy in Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson

Add to these, accurate and careful observation to see in the opening flower, the falling leaf, the events of the day and the providence of God, rich and apt lessons for youthful hearts.
— from The Sabbath-School Index Pointing out the history and progress of Sunday-schools, with approved modes of instruction. by R. G. (Richard Gay) Pardee

In the two great schools which God is supposed to have opened for Man's benefit, freedom and initiative have ever been regarded (and with good reason) as the gravest of offences.
— from What Is and What Might Be A Study of Education in General and Elementary Education in Particular by Edmond Holmes

The reason given reveals a curious superstition which seems to have prevailed from this early time.
— from Japan by David Murray

38 Mayor Ziegenhein, called “Uncle Henry,” was a “good fellow,” “one of the boys,” and though it was during his administration that the city grew ripe and went to rot, his opponents talked only of incompetence and neglect, and repeated such stories as that of his famous reply to some citizens who complained because certain street lights were put out: “You have the moon yet—ain’t it?”
— from The Shame of the Cities by Lincoln Steffens

From that September day these two never ceased to be friends; through good report and ill report Madame de Brimont stood by him.
— from Charles Bradlaugh: a Record of His Life and Work, Volume 1 (of 2) With an Account of his Parliamentary Struggle, Politics and Teachings. Seventh Edition by Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner

The best utensils for this purpose are made of the bottoms of glass retorts and matrasses, as their equal thinness renders them more fit than any other kind of glass vessel for bearing a brisk fire and sudden alterations of heat and cold without breaking.
— from Elements of Chemistry, In a New Systematic Order, Containing all the Modern Discoveries by Antoine Laurent Lavoisier