Sir Walter Scott and the Border Minstrelsy

“Point me out the happy man and I will point you out either extreme egotism, selfishness, evil -- or else an absolute ignorance.””

— Andrew Lang

“Of two hearts one is always warm and one is always cold: the cold heart is more precious than diamonds: the warm heart has no value and is thrown away.””

— Andrew Lang

“It was like having a box of chocolates shut in the bedroom drawer. Until the box was empty it occupied the mind too much.””

— Andrew Lang

“Friendship is something in the soul. It is a thing one feels. It is not a return for something.””

— Andrew Lang

“We'd forgive most things if we knew the facts.””

— Andrew Lang

“There was a tacit understanding between them that 'liquor helped'; growing more miserable with every glass one hoped for the moment of relief.””

— Andrew Lang

“In our hearts there is a ruthless dictator, ready to contemplate the misery of a thousand strangers if it will ensure the happiness of the few we love.””

— Andrew Lang

“He gave her a bright fake smile; so much of life was a putting off of unhappiness for another time. Nothing was ever lost by delay. He had a dim idea that perhaps if one delayed long enough, things were taken out of one's hands altogether by death.””

— Andrew Lang

“Except for the sound of the rain, on the road, on the roofs, on the umbrella, there was absolute silence: only the dying moan of the sirens continued for a moment or two to vibrate within the ear. It seemed to Scobie later that this was the ultimate border he had reached in happiness: being in darkness, alone, with the rain falling, without love or pity.””

— Andrew Lang