“In other words summarise intensely and deeply and keep down the lateral development. It should be a little gem of bright, quick, vivid form”

I’ve always expected the worst, and it’s always worse than I expected.

Never say you know the last word about any human heart.

Art is nothing more than the shadow of humanity.

If you have work to do, don’t wait to feel like it; set to work and you will feel like it.

The superiority of one man’s opinion over another’s is never so great as when the opinion is about a woman.

The success of a work of art, to my mind, may be measured by the degree to which it produces a certain illusion; that illusion makes it appear to us for the time that we have lived another life – that we have had a miraculous enlargement of experience.

An Englishman’s never so natural as when he’s holding his tongue.

Every good story is of course both a picture and an idea, and the more they are interfused the better.

She had an immense curiosity about life, and was constantly staring and wondering.

If I could pronounce the name James in any different or more elaborate way I should be in favor of doing it.

Things are always different from what they might be.

The main object of the novel is to represent life. . .

We work in the dark — we do what we can — we give what we have.

Sorrow comes in great waves…but rolls over us, and though it may almost smother us, it leaves us.

And remember this, that if you’ve been hated, you’ve also been loved.

Though there are some disagreeable things in Venice there is nothing so disagreeable as the visitors.

Precisely at the point when you begin to develop a conscience you must find yourself at war with your society.

Positive thinking can be contagious. Being surrounded by winners helps you develop into a winner.

I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.

Living well is an art that can be developed: a love of life and ability to take great pleasure from small offerings and assurance that the world owes you nothing and that every gift is exactly that, a gift.

When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.

Positive thinking can be contagious. Being surrounded by winners helps you develop into a winner.

Find out what a person fears most and that is where he will develop next.

The proper utilization of our intelligence and knowledge is to effect changes from within to develop a good heart.