The art of not reading is a very important one. It consists in not taking an interest in whatever may be engaging the attention of the general public at any particular time. When some political or ecclesiastical pamphlet, or novel, or poem is making a great commotion, you should remember that he who writes for fools always finds a large public. A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short.” Essays and Aphorisms

This that I am, whatever it be, is mere flesh and a little breathe and the ruling Reason Book II

As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world. Three Guineas

Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments flit away and a sunny spirit takes their place. What Paul Bourget Thinks of Us