He was ill, "nailed down" as he wrote me, by rheumatism of the joints, and compelled to keep his bed.
— from The History of a Crime The Testimony of an Eye-Witness by Victor Hugo

" "That will I not do, even to mine own brother," answered the Tinker.
— from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

There is no people and no state which is not a part of another society, more or less unlimited, which embraces all the peoples and all the States with which the first comes in contact, either directly or indirectly; there is no national life which is not dominated by a collective life of an international nature.
— from The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim

She has a certain courtesy of her own, which is not dependent on fashion, and does not change with its changes; it is not a matter of custom, but it arises from a feminine desire to please.
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

She hath, in spite of all my circumspection, perceived that passion which it is not in my power to conceal, and in consequence of which I now declare myself your devoted adorer; or, conscious of your superior excellence, her jealousy hath taken the alarm, and, though stung with conjecture only, repines at the triumph of your perfections.
— from The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete by T. (Tobias) Smollett

The whole capital of the undertaker of every work is necessarily divided between his fixed and his circulating capital.
— from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

I labour this point so particularly, merely to remove any offence or objection which might arise against it from the manner in which I propose to make the most of it;—which is the putting it up fairly to public sale; which I now do.
— from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

The use of duels, or single combats on foot, prevails among them in peace and war: their industry excels in all the mechanic arts; and the Germans may boast of the invention of gunpowder and cannon, which is now diffused over the greatest part of the world.
— 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

Surely there are hearts and hands ever ready to make it possible for generous intentions to be wrought into noble deeds.
— from The Story of My Life With her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, by John Albert Macy by Helen Keller

Being thus unable to cross until the river should fall, and knowing that it was impracticable to join General Sherman, and useless to adhere to my alternative instructions to return to Winchester, I now decided to destroy still more thoroughly the James River canal and the Virginia Central railroad and then join General Grant in front of Petersburg.
— from Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, General, United States Army — Volume 2 by Philip Henry Sheridan

Would it not do the same by you, Uncle Lance?” “Discouragement might, prohibition would prevent wholly, and I should be thankful,” said Lance.
— from The Long Vacation by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge

It was in no degree a matter of his “advantages”—it was a matter of the spirit that sat in his clear-burning eyes like some tireless watcher at a window.
— from The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 1 by Henry James

They must, therefore, if possible, divide, and by dividing, weaken, if not destroy, the Catholic body.
— from Pius IX. And His Time by Æneas MacDonell Dawson

In his book, a copy of which was printed on gumelastic sheets and bound in hard rubber carved, he summed up his philosophy in this statement: "The writer is not disposed to repine and say that he has planted and others have gathered the fruits.
— from The Age of Invention: A Chronicle of Mechanical Conquest by Holland Thompson

Through meditation and analysis we discover that it may be applied (a) to water or any liquid not in motion, (b) to a place that is without sound, (c) to a place shut off from activity or bustle, (d) to a person who is not demonstrative or forward in manner.
— from The Century Vocabulary Builder by Joseph M. (Joseph Morris) Bachelor

For man naturally desires happiness, and what is naturally desired by man must be naturally known to him.
— from Summa Theologica, Part I (Prima Pars) From the Complete American Edition by Thomas, Aquinas, Saint

If Serenus knew of it, would it not double the bitterness of his own cup?
— from Victor Serenus: A Story of the Pauline Era by Henry Wood

But when detection came, it was upon me that the disgrace and ruin fell; while the man for whom I had done wrong--the man who had made me his tool--turned his back upon me, and refused to utter one word in my justification, though he was in no danger himself, and the lightest word from his lips might have saved me.
— from Henry Dunbar: A Novel by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon