Life is, in fact, a battle. Evil is insolent and strong; beauty enchanting, but rare; goodness very apt to be weak; folly very apt to be defiant; wickedness to carry the day; imbeciles to be in great places, people of sense in small, and mankind generally unhappy. But the world as it stands is no narrow illusion, no phantasm, no evil dream of the night; we wake up to it, forever and ever; and we can neither forget it nor deny it nor dispense with it.

Live all you can: it's a mistake not to. It doesn't matter what you do in particular, so long as you have had your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had?

Our relation, all round, exists--it's a reality, and a very good one; we're mixed up, so to speak, and it's too late to change it. We must live IN it and with it

Life might prove difficult—was evidently going to; but meanwhile they had each other, and that was everything.

Is there really no hope?" our young woman asked as she stood before her."None whatever. There never has been. It has not been a successful life.""No — it has only been a beautiful one.

Life is a predicament which precedes death.

I hate American simplicity. I glory in the piling up of complications of every sort. If I could pronounce the name James in any different or more elaborate way I should be in favour of doing it.

Cats and monkeys - monkeys and cats - all human life is there!

Life is all a green old English garden and time an endless summer afternoon.