If I perished before I could reach the light of day once more I should be no worse off than I was now, for death stared me in the face, while there was always the possibility that, as I was born under a lucky star, I might find myself safe and sound in some desirable land.
— from The Arabian Nights Entertainments by Andrew Lang

And then we did begin to discourse of the young gentlemen captains, which he was very free with me in speaking his mind of the unruliness of them; and what a losse the King hath of his old men, and now of this Hannam, of the Resolution, if he be dead, and that there is but few old sober men in the fleete, and if these few of the Flags that are so should die, he fears some other gentlemen captains will get in, and then what a council we shall have, God knows.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys

"[ 7 ] Now, it seems to me that there is something which one might almost call impudent in the attempt which Mr. Spencer makes, in the first sentence of this extract, to pin the reproach of vagueness upon those who believe in the power of initiative of the great man. { 234} Suppose I say that the singular moderation which now distinguishes social, political, and religious discussion in England, and contrasts so strongly with the bigotry and dogmatism of sixty years ago, is largely due to J. S. Mill's example.
— from The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James

It must not stare me in the face!"
— from The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

An opinion that corn-dealers are starvers of the poor, or that private property is robbery, ought to be unmolested when simply circulated through the press, but may justly incur punishment when delivered orally to an excited mob assembled before the house of a corn-dealer, or when handed about among the same mob in the form of a placard.
— from On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

That question stared me in the face.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

If you grabbed anything they took off their caps to you, while they would thrash me for a rouble and slap me in the face at the club. .
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of 233 Short Stories of Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

A merciful providence just saved me in time from falling into the trap.
— from The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

Now the Controversy about Jesus 's Messiahship is thus far revived and commenced, [Pg 48] let us, in God's Name, go on with it, till we come to a final Determination, either in the Demonstration, or Confutation of it.
— from Six Discourses on the Miracles of Our Saviour, and Defences of His Discourses by Thomas Woolston

Those open spaces, staring me in the face, are too awful."
— from Woman and Artist by Max O'Rell

My opponent struck me in the face, and the blood came pouring out of my mouth and nose.
— from A German deserter's war experience by Anonymous

I won’t listen to such a talk—” “—And he slapped me in the face, and I kicked his shins good, and then we fit and I give him a punch in the belly and a good bunk in the eye—” “Stop Jack, I won’t hear another word.
— from A Modern Cinderella by Amanda M. Douglas

Under these circumstances we shall do better to adjourn its consideration; admitting, however, that it seems at first sight as if we felt something decidedly more voluminous when we contract our thigh-muscles than when we twitch an eyelid or some small muscle in the face.
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 2 (of 2) by William James

He surprised me, in the first place, by shaking hands.
— from The Prairie Mother by Arthur Stringer

It's staring me in the face.
— from The Works of John Galsworthy An Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Galsworthy by John Galsworthy

Just as we approached the "Bear Inn" the leader became restive, turned round and stared me in the face, a mode of salutation by no means agreeable; then he began to lash out, and finally succeeded in upsetting us and breaking the shafts.
— from Coaching, with Anecdotes of the Road by Lennox, William Pitt, Lord

The water is not in chemical union with the solid matter in the form of [Pg 209] definite chemical hydration, however, as the same gel is formed with all possible variations in the water content.
— from The Chemistry of Plant Life by Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

Suddenly huge raindrops struck me in the face, and before I could snatch down the hammock and race for one of the ruined shacks, the skies were pouring.
— from Vagabonding down the Andes Being the Narrative of a Journey, Chiefly Afoot, from Panama to Buenos Aires by Harry Alverson Franck