Your mock saint who stands in a niche is not a woman if she have not suffered, still less a woman if she have not sinned. Fall at the feet of your idol as you wish, but drag her down to your level after that -- the only level she should ever reach, that of your heart.

Baroness Orczy

Categorized in : Fall Heart Idols

The sound of distant breakers made her heart ache with melancholy. She was in the mood when the sea has a saddening effect upon the nerves. It is only when we are very happy that we can bear to gaze merrily upon the vast and limitless expanse of water, rolling on and on with such persistent, irritating monotony to the accompaniment of our thoughts, whether grave or gay. When they are gay, the waves echo their gaiety; but when they are sad, then every breaker, as it rolls, seems to bring additional sadness and to speak to us of hopelessness and of the pettiness of all our joys.

Baroness Orczy

sadness gay heart

Even the worst moments and the weariest journeys must come to an end.

Baroness Orczy

worst-moments journey hope

Money and titles may be hereditary," she would say, "but brains are not,".

Baroness Orczy

titles brain may

Thus human beings judge of one another, superficially, casually, throwing contempt on one another, with but little reason, and no charity.

Baroness Orczy

charity judging littles

It does seem simple, doesn't it?' she said, with a final bitter attempt at flippancy, 'when you want to kill a chicken...you take hold of it...then you wring its neck...it's only the chicken who does not find it quite so simple. Now you hold a knife at my throat, and a hostage for my obedience...You find it simple...I don't

Baroness Orczy

knives simple doe

When will you give up these mad adventures, and leave others to fight their own battles and to save their own lives as best they may?' When your ladyship has ceased to be the most admired woman in Europe, namely, when I am in my grave.

Baroness Orczy

giving-up fighting adventure

There is such wonderful balm in self-imposed sacrifice.

Baroness Orczy

sacrifice self wonderful

In the chain of my life, there were so many links, all of which tended towards bringing me to the fulfillment of my destiny.

Baroness Orczy

chains destiny links

Odd's fish, m'dear! The man can't even tie his own cravat!

Baroness Orczy

odd ties men

It is only when we are very happy that we can bear to gaze merrily upon the vast and limitless expanse of water, rolling on and on with such persistent, irritating monotony, to the accompaniment of our thoughts, whether grave or gay.

Baroness Orczy

rolling gay water

The weariest night, the longest day, sooner or later must perforce come to an end.

Baroness Orczy

sadness ends night

...but in every century, and ever since England has been what it is, an Englishman has always felt somewhat ashamed of his own emotion and of his own sympathy.

Baroness Orczy

century england emotion

Now, when their glances met, they understood one another. The power that lay within both their souls had met, and, as it were, clasped hands. They accepted one another's sacrifice. Hers, mayhap, was the more complete of the two, because for her his absence would mean weary waiting, the dull heartache so terrible to bear.

Baroness Orczy

sacrifice mean hands

We must prove to the world that we are all nincompoops

Baroness Orczy

prove world

A woman's heart is such a complex problem - the owner thereof is often most incompetent to find the solution to this puzzle.

Baroness Orczy

owners problem heart

She, too, had worn a mask in assuming a contempt for him, whilst, as a matter of fact, she completely misunderstood him

Baroness Orczy

misunderstood matter facts

Virtue is like precious odours, most fragrant when it is crushed.

Baroness Orczy

crushed virtue

Look at this limp cravet. And the sad state of those cuffs. I can hardly bring myself to look upon them.

Baroness Orczy

cuffs states looks

music is the most absorbing of all the arts. It absorbs the mind of the artist, whether creator or executant, to the exclusion of every other consideration outside his own immediate necessities or desires.

Baroness Orczy

music mind art

Fate is usually swift when she deals a blow.

Baroness Orczy

deals fate blow