George Gissing Quotes

Before Miss Harrow’s departure Maud and Dora reached home. They were curious to see the young lady from the valley of the shadow of books, and gladly accepted the invitation offered them.

"What a shame it is," quoth Dr. Derwent, "that an honest man who facilitates murder on so great a scale should be kept waiting for his reward!"

For all that, Lee Hannaford made no objection to receiving the portion of his wife's income which she offered. He took it without thanks, keeping his reflections to himself. And therewith was practically dissolved one, at least, of the innumerable mock marriages which burden the lives of mankind. Mrs. Hannaford's only bitterness was that in law she remained wedded. It soothed her but moderately to reflect that she was a martyr to national morality.

All the pedantry of her daily toil slipped away like a cumbrous garment; she was clad only in her womanhood.

Part I: Miss. Lord CHAPTER 1 At eight o'clock on Sunday morning, Arthur Peachey unlocked his front door, and quietly went forth. He had not ventured to ask that early breakfast should be prepared for him. Enough that he was leaving home for a summer holiday — the first he had allowed himself since his marriage three years ago.

Hear-break is a very old-fashioned disorder, associated with poverty of the brain.

They spoke a peculiar tongue, the product of sham education and mock refinement grafted upon a stock of robust vulgarity.

Nowhere is the English genius of domesticity more notably evident than in the festival of afternoon tea. The [...] chink of cups and the saucers tunes the mind to happy repose.

Life, I fancy, would very often be insupportable, but for the luxury of self-compassion.

Some great and noble sorrow may have the effect of drawing hearts together, but to struggle against destitution, to be crushed by care about shillings and sixpences — that must always degrade.

Isn’t it a most ridiculous thing that married people who both wish to separate can’t do so and be quite free again?

Refuge from despair is often found in the passion of self-pity and that spirit of obstinate resistance which it engenders.

Well, I wasn't going to abuse him. I was only going to ask: Is there any quality which distinguishes his work from that of twenty struggling writers one could name? Of course not. He's a clever, prolific man; so are they. But he began with money and friends; he came from Oxford into the thick of advertised people; his name was mentioned in print six times a week before he had written a dozen articles. This kind of thing will become the rule. Men won't succeed in literature that they may get into society, but will get into society that they may succeed in literature.

Only English folk know what is meant by gravy; consequently, the English alone are competent to speak on the question of sauce.

To his mind there was something unnatural in a union between Egremont and Thyrza; try as he would, he could not realise it as having come to pass. The two were parted by so vast a social distinction, and, let Nature say what it will, the artificialities of life are wont to prevail.