I have undertaken, you see, to write not only my life, but my opinions also; hoping and expecting that your knowledge of my character, and of what kind of a mortal I am, by the one, would give you a better relish for the other: As you proceed farther with me, the slight acquaintance, which is now beginning betwixt us, will grow into familiarity; and that unless one of us is in fault, will terminate in friendship.—O diem praeclarum!—then
— from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

Paunceford once resided in a garret; where he subsisted upon sheep’s-trotters and cow-heel, from which commons he was translated to the table of Serle, that ever abounded with good-chear; until want of economy and retention reduced him to a slender annuity in his decline of years, that scarce affords the bare necessaries of life.—Paunceford, however, does him the honour to speak of him still, with uncommon regard; and to declare what pleasure it would give him to contribute in any shape to his convenience: ‘But you know (he never fails to add) he’s a shy kind of a man—And then such a perfect philosopher, that he looks upon all superfluities with the most sovereign contempt.
— from The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by T. (Tobias) Smollett

Why, he stood there face to face with them; bare, not enshrined in any mystery; visibly clouting his own cloak, cobbling his own shoes; fighting, counselling, ordering in the midst of them: they must have seen what kind of a man he was , let him be called what you like!
— from On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle

While the Greeks made knowledge more than learning, modern science makes conserved knowledge only a means to learning, to discovery.
— from Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education by John Dewey

Oneus was the twenty-ninth king of Assyria, Melanthus the sixteenth of the Athenians, and Eli the priest was judge of the Hebrews; and the kingdom of Sicyon then came to an end, after lasting, it is said, for nine hundred and fifty-nine years.
— from The City of God, Volume II by Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo

To catch up in her arms the sick child who was dear to her, and hide it as if it were a criminal, and keep off all ministration but such as her own ignorant tenderness and patience could supply, had become this woman's idea of maternal love, fidelity, and duty.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

There was so much noisy conversation, and congratulation, and indignation, that the remainder of the family were soon awakened, and Smike received a warm and cordial welcome, not only from Kate, but from Mrs. Nickleby also, who assured him of her future favour and regard, and was so obliging as to relate, for his entertainment and that of the assembled circle, a most remarkable account extracted from some work the name of which she had never known, of a miraculous escape from some prison, but what one she couldn’t remember, effected by an officer whose name she had forgotten, confined for some crime which she didn’t clearly recollect.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

Besides these things the Egyptians have found out also to what god each month and each day belongs, and what fortunes a man will meet with who is born on any particular day, and how he will die, and what kind of a man he will be: and these inventions were taken up by those of the Hellenes who occupied themselves about poesy.
— from The History of Herodotus — Volume 1 by Herodotus

Ber . Between ourselves, far from thinking it true, I look upon it as one of the greatest follies which exist among men; and to consider things from a philosophical point of view, I don't know of a more absurd piece of mummery, of anything more ridiculous, than a man who takes upon himself to cure another man.
— from The Imaginary Invalid by Molière

Standing , the position at a street corner, or on the kerb of a market street, regularly occupied by a costermonger, or street seller.
— from The Slang Dictionary: Etymological, Historical and Andecdotal by John Camden Hotten

Speght, one of the early editors, in the good method of that day, having set down a variety of heads, including all that we might wish to know of any man, when this methodiser of commonplaces came to fill up these well-planned divisions concerning Chaucer, he could only disprove what was accepted, and supply only what is uncertain.
— from Amenities of Literature Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature by Isaac Disraeli

As for Santa Claus, when he came that Christmas eve, bringing morceaux de [Pg 62] Brie and of Stilton for the other little mice, he heard with sorrow of Squeaknibble's fate; and ere he departed he said that in all his experience he had never known of a mouse or of a child that had prospered after once saying that he didn't believe in Santa Claus."
— from A Little Book of Profitable Tales by Eugene Field

Fortunately one of the sentries of the prison was a member of Dr. Diaz's church, and through his kind offices, a message was sent to the president of the Southern Baptist Missionary Society in Atlanta.
— from Our War with Spain for Cuba's Freedom by Trumbull White

It seems as if he had called it all into being, and this without knowing what kind of a man her husband is,—it will be indeed a good thing for her not to know.
— from Villa Eden: The Country-House on the Rhine by Berthold Auerbach

Nearly a thousand men, mostly teamsters, buglers and hospital stewarts, toothless but terrible, have been pensioned since the war for lameness caused by the kick of a Mule's hoof iron, while no Mule has been 55 pensioned for lameness, spavin, ring-bone, wind-gall or glanders—no, not one.
— from The Army Mule, and Other War Sketches by Henry A. (Henry Anson) Castle

Kingston once again met my wishes.
— from The Chronicles of a Gay Gordon by J. M. (Joseph Maria) Gordon

She might, as her reckless way is, have handed over his little soul to some flamboyant rogue or expert in small vices; instead, she laid it in the keeping of a man who was clean-living, charged with unselfish enthusiasm and never consciously dishonest.
— from William—An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton

What kind of a mythological being am I housing?
— from The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne : a Novel by William John Locke

Mr. Kriukof gave a curious description to Capt. Kotzebue of a marine serpent which pursued him off Behring's island: it was red and enormously long, the head resembling that of the sea-lion, at the same time two disproportionately large eyes gave it a frightful appearance.
— from The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 17, No. 470, January 8, 1831 by Various

What kind of a man are you?
— from Flowing Gold by Rex Beach