Women Authors From England

"Those who live on vanity must not unreasonably expect to die of mortification."

"Those who are accustomed to enlightened views on this subject, will know also that there are different kinds of personal beauty, amongst which, that of form and colouring holds a very inferior rank. There is a beauty of expression, for instance, of sweetness, of nobility, of intellectual refinement, of feeling, of animation, of meekness, of resignation, and many other kinds of beauty, which may all be allied to the plainest features, and yet may remain, to give pleasure long after the blooming cheek has faded, and silver gray has mingled with the hair. And how far more powerful in their influence upon others, are some of these kinds of beauty! for, after all, beauty depends more upon the movements of the face, than upon the form of the features when at rest; and thus, a countenance habitually under the influence of amiable feelings acquires a beauty of the highest order, from the frequency with which such feelings are the originating cause of the movements or expressions which stamp their character upon it."

"Life is not all incident; it has its intervals of thought, as well as action—of feeling—of endurance; and in order to reflect, and profit by these, it is sometimes necessary to sit down as it were upon the sand-hills of the desert, and consider from what point in the horizon the journey has been made, or to what opening in the distance it is likely to lead."

"There is so much servility in rigor and restraint, that of consequence there can be no greater ene∣my to Ingenuity and good nature. Fools are to be always bauld upon, and blows are fitter for beasts than rational creatures; wherefore there can nothing more engage an ingenious generous soul, than cheerfulness and liberty; not over-frightned."

"Crush the serpent in the head, Break ill egs yer they be hatched. Kill bad chickens in the tread, Fledge[d] they hardly can be catched. In the rising stifle ill, Lest it grow against thy will."

"What's your idea of an ideal date? She screws until four o'clock in the morning, then turns into a pizza."

"It is a very comfortable faith to hold that "whatever is, is best," not only in the dispensations of Providence, but in the social order of daily life; but it is a faith which is perhaps best preserved by careful avoidance of too much inquiry into facts."

"The third College which gives instruction and academic degrees to both sexes is situated at , in Ohio, and being founded in 1852 by a sect calling themselves emphatically "Christians," was by the named , in allusion to Acts xi. 26. The characteristic feature distinguishing this College from the others already named, is the aim of its founders to establish it on a strictly unsectarian basis."

"It is clear that in Great Britain at an early period women were commonly found among the irregular practitioners of Medicine; and it is equally clear that their male competitors greatly desired to deprive them of the right to practise."

"The study and practice of medicine seems to me to be divided into two tolerably distinct branches,—Preventive and Curative; and whereas the second of these will, I think, be left by all wise people to those who, by years of study of books and , have mastered some at least of its difficulties, the former should, in my opinion, form an integral part of every system of education which has any pretension to completeness."

"... Whatever shortcomings or errors may be recorded against , it should ever be remembered in her favour that she took the initiative before all the world in opening a college career to women, and in welcoming, on equal terms, all students, of whatever race or hue. This double glory shall surely be hers in the memories of men when much on which she now prides herself more may be forgotten."

"... On Sunday morning the College-chapel is used by the whole community of , and the students may attend there or elsewhere as they please; but in the afternoon the service is specially designed for them, and their presence is required."

"... If we go back to primeval times, and try to imagine the first sickness or the first injury suffered by humanity, does one instinctively feel that it must have been the man's business to seek means of healing, to try the virtues of various herbs, or to apply such rude remedies as might occur to one unused to the strange spectacle of human suffering? I think that few would maintain that such ministration would come most naturally to the man and be instinctively avoided by the woman; indeed, I fancy that the presumption would be rather in the other direction. And what is such ministration but the germ of the future profession of medicine?"

"Let not your Ladiships be offended that I do not (as some have wittily done) plead for Female Preeminence. To ask too much is the way to be denied all."

"A Learned Woman is thought to be a Comet, that bodes Mischief, when ever it appears. To offer to the World the liberal Education of Women is to deface the Image of God in Man, it will make Women so high, and men so low, like Fire in the House-tops it will set the whole world in a Flame. These things and worse than these, are commonly talked of, and verily believed by many, who think themselves wise Men: to contradict these is a bold attempt."

"Now the number of dishes used for breakfast is, in the majority of English dishes, very limited. Bacon and eggs are the staple, the former generally unsatisfactory, being over or under cooked, too salt or too new; it is besides expensive, a large portion of it running to fat. New-laid eggs, when they can be procured in town, are very costly, they properly, after twenty-four hours, can only be described as fresh. The mind is not, however, very enlightened on this subject, and the vendors of eggs are persuaded, or at any rate try to persuade the public, that eggs are new-laid until they are "an apology for pepper.'"

"Eve, smiling, plucked the apple, then Laughed, sighed—and tasted it again: "Strange such a pleasant, juicy thing On a forbidden tree should spring!"But had she seen with clearer eyes, Or had the serpent been less wise, She'd scarce have shown such little wit As to let Adam taste of it!"

"Eggs. Put into a stewpan two s of or milk, two of good gravy, with two ounces of , a little salt and pepper, Break into this six eggs, and when they begin to set throw in the {asparagus prepared thus:—Take two dozen heads of small asparagus, cut the green tops into pieces the size of large peas, throw them into boiling water with plenty of salt, when done, drain them on a sieve. Let them be stirred over the fire with the eggs for half a minute, then pour them on to their dish and garnish them with ."

"... From the earliest days of her married life, Mrs. Heath had found all her pleasure to consist in making her home happy. To be sure, in her young days, change of scene, frequent visiting and parties were not deemed essentials to the health and happiness of the middle-class wife. The bringing up of children was not delegated to ignorant, careless nursemaids, but was the first duty and delight of mothers. Neither in her day were children looked upon as burdens, or a woman pitied because of the cares of her large family. Happiness was then found in these cares, and peace of mind in the performance of the blessed duties of maternity—duties laid upon woman by Providence and nature, and which she may not seek to abrogate without ill consequences to all her race."

"Sausages have from time immemorial found favor as a breakfast dish. But that any one should be able to eat those sold in shops after the revelations respecting them, and the great risk there is of getting diseased meat in so disguised a form, is indeed surprising. There is no difficulty whatever in making sausages at home, a will last a lifetime, and be so useful for a variety of purposes that no family should be without one."

"A good cook will never be embarrassed by having too much cold meat on hand, because she will be able by her skill so to vary the dishes that the appetites of those for whom she caters will never tire of it. Even a small piece of the loin of mutton may be served in half-a-dozen different ways, and be relished by those who are tired of the mutton-chop or the plainroast."

"Situated on an island which I think it will one day cover, it rises like Venice from the sea, and like that fairest of cities in the days of her glory, receives into its lap tribute of all the riches of the earth."

"I sometimes think, sir, that your fences might be in more thorough repair, and your roads in better order, if less time was spent in politics."

"A single word indicative of doubt, that any thing, or every thing, in that country is not the very best in the world, produces an effect which must be seen and felt to be understood. If the citizens of the United States were indeed the devoted patriots they call themselves, they would surely not thus encrust themselves in the hard, dry, stubborn persuasion, that they are the first and best of the human race, that nothing is to be learnt, but what they are able to teach, and that nothing is worth having, which they do not possess."

"Let no one who wishes to receive agreeable impressions of American manners, commence their travels in a Mississippi steamboat."

"A female mind like a rude fallow lies; No seed is sown, but weeds spontaneous rise. As well might we expect, in winter, spring, As land untilled a fruitful crop should bring."

"Are simple women only fit To dress, to darn, to flower, or knit, To mind the distaff, or the spit? Why are the needle and the pen Thought incompatible by men?"

"... Poles seem to be as much condemned to a diet of caviar, vodka and the Polka as the English are to rare old port and pheasant."

"We teach you the pleasure of physical exercise—the team-spirit of games, too, for when you leave school finally you will find that life is a game, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, but a game that must be played with true team-spirit—there is no room for the outsider in life."

"He didn't play with his food anymore till it got cold; instead, down it went like fuel into a furnace keeping the ovens hot, and the energy at boiling point, as Tom hurtled through his life catching up with himself at last."

"There aren't enough secrets to go round anymore. Some spies are having to invent secrets in order to earn a living. I can't help wondering what will happen when redundant spies join the ranks of the unemployed."

"I am here and I am safe and I am sick of it."

"Sweetly sings the donkey As he goes to grass He who sings so sweetly Is sure to be an ass."

"He was very ugly but people can't help the faces they're born with."

"This isn't such a bad place to be though. I imagine you could get very fond of it from a distance."

"As I was going up Pippin Hill, Pippin Hill was dirty. And there I met a pretty miss, And she dropped me a curtsy. Little miss, pretty miss, Blessings light upon you. If I had half a crown a day, I'd gladly spend it on you."

"Oh! I must take my shoes off. Huh! Hell hath no fury like a woman’s corns, has it?"

"According to her, only a revolution will ever bring true democracy to this country and the sooner revolution comes (she said) the better and even though hundreds of innocents will be slaughtered they will die in a good cause and men must be willing to sacrifice themselves. But that depends I suppose on which men you're thinking of."

"Has difficulty distinguishing fact from fiction. This girl is a liar. Expect Improvement next term."

"I can’t stand people who laugh at other people. They’d get a bigger laugh if they laughed at themselves."

"We don't ask for life, we have it thrust upon us."

"Anything's hard to find if you go around looking for it with your eyes shut."

"The only consolation I can find in your immediate presence is your ultimate absence."

"I’m not frightened of the darkness outside. It’s the darkness inside houses I don’t like."

"Women never have young minds. They are born three thousand years old."

"In this country there are only two seasons, winter and winter."

"Why don't you learn from my mistakes? It takes half your time to learn from your own."

"I dreamt about you last night. Fell out of bed twice."

"My usual self is a very unusual self."

"According to one of my correspondents, Jessica Mitford was overheard to remark, "I have nothing against undertakers personally. It's just that I wouldn't want one to bury my sister.""