black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

All really frank people are amusing, and would remain so if they could remember that other people may sometimes want to be frank and amusing too.

Ada Leverson

Some men are born husbands; they have a passion for domesticity, for a fireside, for a home. Yet, curiously, these men very rarely stay at home. Apparently what they want is to have a place to get away from.
ADA LEVERSON

Domesticity Home Husband Passion
Most people would far rather be seen through than not be seen at all.
ADA LEVERSON

Attention Most People Seen Through Visible Vision
Modesty is a valuable merit … in people who have no other, and the appearance of it is extremely useful to those who have.
ADA LEVERSON

Appearance Extremely Merit Modesty People
It’s always something to get one’s wish, even if the wish is a failure.
ADA LEVERSON

Always Failure One Requirement Something Wish
She suspected him of infidelity, with and without reason, morning, noon and night.
ADA LEVERSON

Infidelity Morning Night Noon Reson Suspect
She could carry off anything; and some people said that she did.
ADA LEVERSON

Anything Carry People Said Sarcastic
Absurdly improbable things are quite as liable to happen in real life as in weak literature.
ADA LEVERSON

Cheerful Literature Man Real Unexpected Weak Young
an optimist is the man who looks after your eyes, and the pessimist the person who looks after your feet.
ADA LEVERSON

Eye Feet Look Man Optimist Person Pessimist
Everything comes to the man who won’t wait.
ADA LEVERSON

Come Easy Everything Man Patience Wait Waiting
Looking at the poems of John Gray when I saw the tiniest rivulet of text meandering through the very largest meadow of margin,
ADA LEVERSON

Beautiful Book Gray Meandering Oscar Poem Text Tiniest
As a rule the person found out in a betrayal of love holds, all the same, the superior position of the two. It is the betrayed one who is humiliated.
ADA LEVERSON

Betrayal Betrayed Hold Person Position Rule Superior Two
There is, of course, no joy so great as the cessation of pain; in fact all joy, active or passive, is the cessation of some pain, since it must be the satisfaction of a longing, even perhaps an unconscious longing.
ADA LEVERSON

Cessation Joy Pain Passive Satisfaction
There may be something in this theory, but when their amusements are carried to such a point of luxurious and imaginative perfection it certainly gives them great and even unlimited enjoyment at the time.
ADA LEVERSON

Amusement Imagination Luxurious Perfection Point Something Theory
When a passion is not realized … it fades away, or becomes ideal worship–Dante–Petrarch–that sort of thing!
ADA LEVERSON

Believe Fade Ideal Passion Realize Trust Worship
People were not charmed with Eglantine because she herself was charming, but because she was charmed.
ADA LEVERSON

Charm Charmed Charming Cheerful Eglantine Herself People
envy, as a rule, is of success rather than of merit. No one would have objected to his talent deserving recognition – only to his getting it.
ADA LEVERSON

Envy Merit Object Deserving Rather Recognition Rule
Most people now seem to treasure anything they value in proportion to the extent that it’s followed about and surrounded by the vulgar public.
ADA LEVERSON

Extent Followed People Proportion Treasure Value
The Futurists?…. Well, of course, they are already past.
ADA LEVERSON

Already Course Futurist Past Well
When I see a cheerful young man shrieking about how full of life he is, banging on a drum, and blowing on a tin trumpet, and speaking of his good spirits
ADA LEVERSON

Banging Depressing Drum Man Real Shrieking Young
It depresses me, since naturally it gives the contrary impression. It can’t be real. It ought to be but it isn’t. If the noisy person meant what he said, he wouldn’t say it.
ADA LEVERSON

Depresses Impression Naturally Ought Person Since
The marvellous instinct with which women are usually credited seems too often to desert them on the only occasions when it would be of any real use. One would say it was there for trivialities only
ADA LEVERSON

Credited Desert Intuition Man Marvellous Often Real
It is all very well to say that children are happier with mud pies and rag dolls than with these elaborate delights.
ADA LEVERSON

Children Doll Elaborate Giving Happier Pie Rag
Suspense is torture … but delightful–or there’d be no gambling in the world.
ADA LEVERSON

Delightful Gambling Suspense Torture World
Thou canst not serve both cod and salmon.
ADA LEVERSON

Cod Serve
Fog and hypocrisy – that is to say, shadow, convention, decency – these were the very things that lent to London its poetry and romance.
ADA LEVERSON

Convention Decency Fog Hypocrisy Romance Shadow
To a woman–I mean, a nice woman–there is no such thing as men. There is a man; and either she is so fond of him that she can talk of nothing else, however unfavourably, or so much in love with him that she never mentions his name.
ADA LEVERSON

Either Man Mean Nice Thing Woman
A butler in an English household should, however, be English, and as much like an archbishop as possible.
ADA LEVERSON

Archbishop Butler Country English Household Should

All really frank people are amusing, and would remain so if they could remember that other people may sometimes want to be frank and amusing too.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

All really frank people are amusing, and would remain so if they could remember that other people may sometimes want to be frank and amusing too.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Ada Leverson Quotes