“The world has been busy for some centuries in shutting and locking every door through which a woman could step into wealth, except the door of marriage.”

What makes saintliness in my view, as distinguished from ordinary goodness, is a certain quality of magnanimity and greatness of soul that brings life within the circle of the heroic.

I feel now that the time is come when even a woman or a child who can speak a word for freedom and humanity is bound to speak. I hope every woman who can write will not be silent.

Half the misery in the world comes of want of courage to speak and to hear the truth plainly and in a spirit of love.

Of course, in a novel, people’s hearts break, and they die and that is the end of it; and in a story this is very convenient. But in real life we do not die when all that makes life bright dies to us.

All places where women are excluded tend downward to barbarism; but the moment she is introduced, there come in with her courtesy, cleanliness, sobriety, and order.

It is generally understood that men don’t aspire after the absolute right, but only to do about as well as the rest of the world.

If you were not already my dearly loved husband I should certainly fall in love with you.

The literature of a people must so ring from the sense of its nationality; and nationality is impossible without self-respect, and self-respect is impossible without liberty.

One part of the science of living is to learn just what our own responsibility is, and to let other people’s alone.

Friendships are discovered rather than made.

There are in this world two kinds of natures, – those that have wings, and those that have feet, – the winged and the walking spirits. The walking are the logicians; the winged are the instinctive and poetic.

It isn’t mere love and good-will that is needed in a sick-room; it needs knowledge and experience.

Let us never doubt everything that ought to happen is going to happen.

No ornament of a house can compare with books; they are constant company in a room, even when you are not reading them.

Intemperance in eating is one of the most fruitful of all causes of disease and death.

General rules will bear hard on particular cases.

Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

Get busy living or get busy dying.

Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.

I’ve always liked being busy. If I have nothing to do for a week, it just makes me mad.

I tell you, we’re going to be busy for a minute.

Never be so busy as not to think of others.

Being busy does not always mean real work.