The law for father and son and mother and daughter is not the law of love: it is the law of revolution, of emancipation, of final supersession of the old and worn-out by the young and capable.
— from Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy by Bernard Shaw

Mr. Addison came to me a night or two after Philips had talked in this idle manner, and assured me of his disbelief of what had been said, of the friendship we should always maintain, and desired I would say nothing further of it.
— from All About Coffee by William H. (William Harrison) Ukers

And this principle holds good of all things that partake in any degree of artistic qualities, of the furniture of our houses, and of dress, for instance, of life itself, of gesture and speech, and the details of daily intercourse; these also, for the wise, being susceptible of a suavity and charm, caught from the way in which they are done, which gives them a worth in themselves; wherein, indeed, lies what is valuable and justly attractive, in what is called the fashion of a time, which elevates the trivialities of speech, and manner, and dress, into "ends in themselves," and gives them a mysterious grace and attractiveness in the doing of them.
— from The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry by Walter Pater

But trees which grow in places facing the course of the sun are not of porous fibre but are solid, being drained by the dryness; for the sun absorbs moisture and draws it out of trees as well as out of the earth.
— from The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio

Now when the girl begins to show her love by outward signs and motions, as described in the last chapter, the lover should try to gain her over entirely by various ways and means, such as the following:— When engaged with her in any game or sport he should intentionally hold her hand.
— from The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana Translated From the Sanscrit in Seven Parts With Preface, Introduction and Concluding Remarks by Vatsyayana

Turn all your forces towards Bolton station, and make all dispatch in getting there.
— from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete by Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson) Grant

"Bernard screamed as he went over, and with that scream all my anger died in a minute, and I sat down on the stairs, shaking from head to foot.
— from The Old Castle and Other Stories by Anonymous

Mark sort of scowled at me and did it all over, but not one of us could make a thing of it.
— from Mark Tidd: His Adventures and Strategies by Clarence Budington Kelland

The invaluable works of our elder writers, I had almost said the works of Shakespeare and Milton, are driven into neglect by frantic novels, sickly and stupid German Tragedies, and deluges of idle and extravagant stories in verse.—When I think upon this degrading thirst after outrageous stimulation I am almost ashamed to have spoken of the feeble effort with which I have endeavoured to counteract it; and reflecting upon the magnitude of the general evil, I should be oppressed with no dishonorable melancholy, had I not a deep impression of certain inherent and indestructible qualities of the human mind, and likewise of certain powers in the great and permanent objects that act upon it which are equally inherent and indestructible; and did I not further add to this impression a belief that the time is approaching when the evil will be systematically opposed by men of greater powers and with far more distinguished success.
— from Lyrical Ballads, with Other Poems, 1800, Volume 1 by William Wordsworth

[Pg 228] —such a meteor as Duncan is not to be caught without much sprinting—there are compensations.
— from Fifty Years of Golf by Horace G. (Horace Gordon) Hutchinson

You will not sing Of anything To any one: You'll sit and mope All day, I hope, And shed a tear Upon the life Your little wife Is passing here!
— from Bab Ballads and Savoy Songs by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert

The praetor drew from the treasury the pay for these imaginary soldiers and marines, and diverted it into his own pocket.
— from Roman life in the days of Cicero by Alfred John Church

Sometimes he appeared as if he were about to take off the head of his auditor at a blow; and our hearts sank as we remembered the stratagems at Mackinac and Detroit in former days.
— from Wau-Bun: The Early Day in the Northwest by Kinzie, John H., Mrs.

[Our wasting lives grow shorter still As months and days increase; And every beating pulse we tell Leaves but the number less.
— from Hymns and Spiritual Songs by Isaac Watts

He stood tense a second, then advanced, scratched a match and dropped it into the depths of the opening.
— from The Harvester by Gene Stratton-Porter

She smiled, showing a most alluring dimple in one cheek.
— from Love Stories by Mary Roberts Rinehart