Stevens

"I must confess I had not anticipated such a reception."

"The pursuit of one's professional obligations is paramount."

"I have very much doubted my own judgment."

"One must respect the decisions of one's employer."

"The truth is, I have lived most of my life quite contentedly."

"Perhaps I should have spoken differently on that occasion."

"Life is too short to be wasted on regrets."

"One cannot change the past, only the future."

"I can't even say I made my own mistakes. Really—one has to ask oneself—what dignity is there in that?"

"I believe you are right that in the end it is a matter of what one estimates one's own life to have been worth."

"A butler's duty is to provide service to the household."

"It is hardly worth getting angry about these things now."

"I find myself in a rather weak position to mediate in other people's affairs."

"The past is past and one cannot change it."

"One simply does one's job as best as one can."

"These matters require a proper sense of perspective."

"I have always believed it is wrong to come between husband and wife."

"A professional butler must maintain proper emotional distance."

"The world has turned considerably more complicated than once it was."

"One must be willing to admit when one has been mistaken."

"Perhaps I have been guilty of misjudging a situation."

"It is too late to start questioning the foundations now."

"Dignity is not something one can simply assume."

"I cannot pretend to have played a particularly distinguished part."

"One must accept responsibility for one's own actions."

"The evening has come to pass almost before one has noticed."

"Bantering is not entirely without value."

"One has to admire a man of principle."

"I have devoted my life to serving this household."

"Sentiment is a luxury a butler cannot afford."