Poems List

Thanks to his constant habit of shaking the bottle in which life handed him the wine of experience, he presently found the taste of the lees rising as usual into his draught.

"The Ambassadors", Book Fourth, Chapter 2

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People can be in general pretty well trusted, of course--with the clock of their freedom ticking as loud as it seems to do here--to keep an eye on the fleeting hour.

"The Ambassadors", Book Fifth, Chapter 2

Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.
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She had an unequalled gift... of squeezing big mistakes into small opportunities.
The only obligation to which in advance we may hold a novel, without incurring the accusation of being arbitrary, is that it be interesting.
She was a woman who, between courses, could be graceful with her elbows on the table.
If it is good to have one foot in England, it is still better, or at least as good, to have the other out of it.
I don’t want everyone to like me; I should think less of myself if some people did.
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Money’s a horrid thing to follow, but a charming thing to meet.
Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your BELIEF will help create the fact.
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Henry James (1843-1916) was a prolific American writer, based in England, considered a central figure in the transition from realism to modernism in literature. Born into a prominent and intellectual family in New York, James spent much of his life in Europe, which became a recurring theme in his work, exploring the contrast between American and European society. His novels, such as 'The Portrait of a Lady' and 'The Ambassadors,' are known for their deep psychological analysis, intricate style, and focus on the nuances of social and moral life. He also wrote short stories, literary criticism, and plays, leaving a significant legacy in American and English fiction.