Edith Wharton

"The only way to deal with society is to accept it or oppose it openly."

"Freedom is the luxury of not knowing what others think."

"The past is the only dead thing that smells sweet."

"Kindness is often repaid with ingratitude, yet kindness must persist."

"The purpose of education is to teach you to think for yourself."

"Adventure is only the discovery of what one already knows."

"People are always afraid of the truth; they call it cruelty."

"A woman is at her best when she stands alone."

"Power without principle is tyranny in its most insidious form."

"One of the greatest pleasures in life is conversation."

"The very poverty of the poor has a certain richness in its simplicity."

"Solitude is fine, but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine."

"Life is but a slow accumulation of small disappointments."

"True friendship exists only when both parties wish the best for each other."

"The worst of one's vices may become the best of one's defenses."

"A writer who does not feel the immensity of his responsibility cannot be great."

"Justice delayed is not merely justice denied; it becomes injustice."

"Patience is a virtue that yields the greatest returns when you need them most."

"The greatest obstacle to growth is the belief that you have already arrived."

"Memory is the scribe of the soul, but often an unreliable one."

"A work of art should transport you or transform you, not merely impress you."

"Every sorrow has the power to teach us something we desperately need to know."

"The mark of a civilized society is how it treats those who cannot defend themselves."

"Nature teaches us that persistence is more valuable than perfection."

"I have often thought that the best way to know God is to love many things."

"Life's greatest reward is not success but the struggle itself."

"The truly rich are not those with money but those with time."

"A woman's strength lies not in her ability to be strong, but to admit her weakness."

"Death is the one event in life we cannot experience and survive."

"The greatest education comes from observing life, not books alone."