Chapter 2

 One's past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged.

 

In a very ugly and sensible age the arts borrow, not from life, but from each other.

 

It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good advice is fatal.

 

Secrets from other people's wives are a necessary luxury in modern life. So, at least, I am told at the club by people who are bald enough to know better. But no man should have a secret from his own wife. She invariably finds it out. Women have a wonderful instinct about things. They discover everything except the obvious.

 

Life holds the mirror up to art, and either reproduces some strange type imagined by painter or sculptor² or realises in fact what has been dreamed in fiction.

 

I feel sure that if I lived in the country for six months I should become so unsophisticated that no one would take the slightest notice of me.

 

To recommend thrift³ to the poor is both grotesque⁴ and insulting. It is like advising a man who is starving to eat less.

 

A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.

 

I am always saying what I shouldn't say; in fact, I usually say what I really think—a great mistake nowadays. It makes one so liable to be misunderstood.

 

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

 

The true perfection of man lies, not in what man has, but in what man is.

 

The basis of every scandal is an absolute immoral⁵ certainty.

 

People talk so much about the beauty of confidence. They seem to entirely⁶ ignore the much more subtle beauty of doubt. To believe is very dull. To doubt is intensely engrossing⁷. To be on the alert is to live, to be lulled⁸ into security is to die.

 

Every effect that one produces gives one an enemy. To be popular one must be a mediocrity.

 

It is a sad truth, but we have lost the faculty⁹ of giving lovely names to things. Names are everything. I never quarrel with actions, my one quarrel is with words. That is the reason I hate vulgar realism in literature. The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for.

 

A high moral tone can hardly be said to conduce very much to either one's health or one's happiness.

 

There are terrible temptations that it requires strength—strength and courage—to yield to. To stake all one's life on one throw—whether the stake be power or pleasure I care not—there is no weakness in that. There is a horrible, a terrible, courage.

 

Nowadays it is only the unreadable that occurs.

 

All charming people are spoiled. It is the secret of their attraction.

 

There is more to be said for stupidity than people imagine. Personally, I have a great admiration¹⁰ for stupidity. It is a sort of fellow-feeling, I suppose.

 

All men are monsters. The only thing to do is to feed the wretches¹¹ well. A good cook does wonders.

 

There is no such thing as an omen¹.

 

Destiny does not send us heralds¹². She is too wise or too cruel for that.

 

Crying is the refuge of plain women but the ruin of pretty ones.

 

Love art for its own sake and then all things that you need will be added to you. This devotion to beauty and to the creation of beautiful things is the test of all great civilisations; it is what makes the life of each citizen a sacrament and not a speculation¹³.

 

It is always worth while asking a question, though it is not always answering one.

 

It takes a thoroughly¹⁴ good woman to do a thoroughly stupid thing.

 

With a proper background women can do anything.

 

Chiromancy¹⁵ is a most dangerous science, and one that ought not to be encouraged, except in a 'tête-à-tête.'

 

One should never take sides in anything. Taking sides is the beginning of sincerity¹⁶, and earnestness follows shortly afterwards, and the human being becomes a bore.

 

The work of art is beautiful by being what art never has been; and to measure it by the standard of the past is to measure it by a standard on the reflection of which its real perfection depends.

 

There are three kinds of despots. There is the despot who tyrannises over the body. There is the despot who tyrannises over the soul. There is the despot who tyrannises over soul and body alike. The first is called the prince. The second is called the pope. The third is called the people.

 

Costume is a growth, an evolution, and a most important, perhaps the most important, sign of the manners, customs, and mode of life of each century.

 

I really don't see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love, but there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty¹⁷.

 

What consoles one nowadays is not repentance¹⁸ but pleasure. Repentance is quite out of date.

 

Ideals are dangerous things. Realities are better. They wound, but they are better.

 

Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow.

 

Shallow sorrows and shallow loves live on. The loves and sorrows that are great are destroyed by their own plenitude.

 

An eternal smile is much more wearisome than a perpetual frown. The one sweeps away all possibilities, the other suggests a thousand.

 

To disagree with three-fourths of England on all points is one of the first elements of vanity, which is a deep source of consolation¹⁹ in all moments of spiritual doubt.

 

Women live by their emotions and for them, they have no philosophy of life.

 

As long as war is regarded as wicked it will always have a fascination²⁰. When it is looked upon as vulgar it will cease to be popular.

 

There is only one thing worse than injustice²¹, and that is justice without her sword in her hand. When right is not might it is evil.

 

We spend our days, each one of us, in looking for the secret of life. Well, the secret of life is in art.

 

The truth isn't quite the sort of thing that one tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl.

 

If one plays good music people don't listen, and if one plays bad music people don't talk.

 

How fond women are of doing dangerous things. It is one of the qualities in them that I admire most. A woman will flirt²² with anybody in the world as long as other people are looking on.

 

Englishwomen conceal²³ their feelings till after they are married. They show them then.

 

Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.

 

Actions are the first tragedy in life, words are the second. Words are perhaps the worst. Words are merciless.

 

Life is terrible. It rules us, we do not rule it.

 

In art there is no such thing as a universal truth. A truth in art is that whose contradictory²⁴ is also true.

 

One's days are too brief to take the burden of another's sorrows on one's shoulders. Each man lives his own life, and pays his own price for living it. The only pity is that one has to pay so often for a single fault. One has to pay over and over again, indeed. In her dealings with man Destiny never closes her accounts.

 

Pleasure is Nature's test, her sign of approval. When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy.

 

The people who love only once in their lives are really the shallow people. What they call their loyalty²⁵ and their fidelity²⁶ I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination.

 

Better to take pleasure in a rose than to put its root under a microscope.

 

Of Shakespeare it may be said that he was the first to see the dramatic value of doublets and that a climax²⁷ may depend on a crinoline.

 

Plain women are always jealous of their husbands; beautiful women never are! They never have time. They are always so occupied in being jealous of other people's husbands.

 

What between the duties expected of one during one's lifetime and the duties exacted from one after one's death land has ceased to be either a profit or a pleasure. It gives one position and prevents one from keeping it up.

 

A man who moralises is usually a hypocrite, and a woman who moralises is invariably plain. There is nothing in the whole world so unbecoming to a woman as a nonconformist conscience. And most women know it, I am glad to say.

 

It was a fatal day when the public discovered that the pen is mightier²⁸ than the paving-stone and can be made as offensive as a brickbat.

 

A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. And when Humanity lands there it looks out, and, seeing a better country, sets sail. Progress is the realisation of Utopias.

 

What is the difference between scandal and gossip? Oh! gossip is charming! History is merely gossip, but scandal is gossip made tedious by morality.

 

All beautiful things belong to the same age.

 

It is personalities²⁹, not principles, that move the age.

 

Modern pictures are, no doubt, delightful³⁰ to look at. At least, some of them are. But they are quite impossible to live with; they are too clever, too assertive³¹, too intellectual. Their meaning is too obvious and their method too clearly defined. One exhausts what they have to say in a very short time, and then they become as tedious as one's relations.

 

To know nothing about our great men is one of the necessary elements of English education.

 

The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either and modern literature a complete impossibility.

 

You may laugh, but it is a great thing to come across a woman who thoroughly understands one.

 

The majority of people spoil their lives by an unhealthy and exaggerated altruism³².

 

The number of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly³³ scandalous. It looks so bad. It is simply washing one's clean linen³⁴ in public.

 

The chief thing that makes life a failure from the artistic³⁵ point of view is the thing that lends to life its sordid³⁶ security—the fact that one can never repeat exactly the same emotion.

 

We teach people how to remember, we never teach them how to grow.

 

Vulgar habit that is people have nowadays of asking one, after one has given them an idea, whether one is serious or not. Nothing is serious except passion. The intellect is not a serious thing and never has been. It is an instrument on which one plays, that is all. The only serious form of intellect I know is the British intellect, and on the British intellect the illiterate³⁷ always plays the drum.

 

It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.

 

It is only the modern that ever become old-fashioned.

1 omen   

n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示

参考例句：

• The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
• Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了？

2 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

3 thrift   

adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约

参考例句：

• He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
• His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。

4 grotesque   

adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物）

参考例句：

• His face has a grotesque appearance.他的面部表情十分怪。
• Her account of the incident was a grotesque distortion of the truth.她对这件事的陈述是荒诞地歪曲了事实。

5 immoral   

adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的

参考例句：

• She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
• It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 engrossing   

adj.使人全神贯注的，引人入胜的v.使全神贯注( engross的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He told us an engrossing story. 他给我们讲了一个引人入胜的故事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It might soon have ripened into that engrossing feeling. 很快便会发展成那种压倒一切的感情的。 来自辞典例句

8 lulled   

vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• They lulled her into a false sense of security. 他们哄骗她，使她产生一种虚假的安全感。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The movement of the train lulled me to sleep. 火车轻微的震动催我进入梦乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

10 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

11 wretches   

n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋

参考例句：

• The little wretches were all bedraggledfrom some roguery. 小淘气们由于恶作剧而弄得脏乎乎的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The best courage for us poor wretches is to fly from danger. 对我们这些可怜虫说来，最好的出路还是躲避危险。 来自辞典例句

12 heralds   

n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The song of birds heralds the approach of spring. 百鸟齐鸣报春到。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountain. 山雨欲来风满楼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

14 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

15 chiromancy   

n.手相术

参考例句：

• She's busy writing a book on chiromancy.她正忙着写一本关于手相术的书。
• Do you believe in chiromancy?你相信手相术吗？

16 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

17 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

18 repentance   

n.懊悔

参考例句：

• He shows no repentance for what he has done.他对他的所作所为一点也不懊悔。
• Christ is inviting sinners to repentance.基督正在敦请有罪的人悔悟。

19 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

20 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

21 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

22 flirt   

v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者

参考例句：

• He used to flirt with every girl he met.过去他总是看到一个姑娘便跟她调情。
• He watched the stranger flirt with his girlfriend and got fighting mad.看着那个陌生人和他女朋友调情，他都要抓狂了。

23 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

24 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

25 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

26 fidelity   

n.忠诚，忠实；精确

参考例句：

• There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
• His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

27 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。

28 mightier   

adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其

参考例句：

• But it ever rises up again, stronger, firmer, mightier. 但是，这种组织总是重新产生，并且一次比一次更强大，更坚固，更有力。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
• Do you believe that the pen is mightier than the sword? 你相信笔杆的威力大于武力吗？

29 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

30 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

31 assertive   

adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的

参考例句：

• She always speaks an assertive tone.她总是以果断的语气说话。
• China appears to have become more assertive in the waters off its coastline over recent years.在近些年，中国显示出对远方海洋的自信。

32 altruism   

n.利他主义，不自私

参考例句：

• An important feature of moral behaviour is altruism.道德行为一个重要特点就是利他主义。
• Altruism is crucial for social cohesion.利他主义对社会的凝聚是至关重要的。

33 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

34 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

35 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

36 sordid   

adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的

参考例句：

• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively.他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。
• They lived in a sordid apartment.他们住在肮脏的公寓房子里。

37 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。