I never could see anything wrong in sensationalism; and I am sure our society is suffering more from secrecy than from flamboyant revelations.
With all that we hear of American hustle and hurry, it is rather strange that Americans seem to like to linger on longer words.
It is true that I am of an older fashion; much that I love has been destroyed or sent into exile.
I think the oddest thing about the advanced people is that, while they are always talking about things as problems, they have hardly any notion of what a real problem is.
Over-civilization and barbarism are within an inch of each other. And a mark of both is the power of medicine-men.
By experts in poverty I do not mean sociologists, but poor men.
The modern city is ugly not because it is a city but because it is not enough of a city, because it is a jungle, because it is confused and anarchic, and surging with selfish and materialistic energies.
Self-denial is the test and definition of self-government.
A man imagines a happy marriage as a marriage of love; even if he makes fun of marriages that are without love, or feels sorry for lovers who are without marriage.
The whole pleasure of marriage is that it is a perpetual crisis.
A good man’s work is effected by doing what he does, a woman’s by being what she is.
Women have a thirst for order and beauty as for something physical; there is a strange female power of hating ugliness and waste as good men can only hate sin and bad men virtue.
One of the chief uses of religion is that it makes us remember our coming from darkness, the simple fact that we are created.
Theology is only thought applied to religion.
Puritanism was an honourable mood; it was a noble fad. In other words, it was a highly creditable mistake.
What life and death may be to a turkey is not my business; but the soul of Scrooge and the body of Cratchit are my business.
Any one thinking of the Holy Child as born in December would mean by it exactly what we mean by it; that Christ is not merely a summer sun of the prosperous but a winter fire for the unfortunate.
The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why.
It’s not that we don’t have enough scoundrels to curse; it’s that we don’t have enough good men to curse them.
Truth is sacred; and if you tell the truth too often nobody will believe it.