Insincerity Is Always Weakness; Sincerity Even In

I Have Always Considered The Merry Wives One Of The Worst Plays, If Not Altogether The Worst, That Shakespeare Has Left Us. The Wit For The Most Part Is Dreary Or Foolish; The Tone Is Coarse And Farcical; And The Characters Want The Fine Distinctive Touches He So Well Knew How To Give. If Some Luckless Wight Had Written Such A Comedy In Our Time, I Should Like To See What The Critics Would Say To It?

Bad Acting, Like Bad Writing, Has A Remarkable Uniformity, Whether Seen On The French, German, Or English Stages; It All Seems Modeled After Two Or Three Types, And Those The Least Like Types Of Good Acting. The Fault Generally Lies Less In The Bad Imitation Of A Good Model, Than In The Successful Imitation Of A Bad Model.

I Am Suspicious Without A Motive, And Jealous Without Love; Although I Feel I Ought To Love Since I Desire To Be Loved.

The Object Of Literature Is To Instruct, To Animate, Or To Amuse.

If I Advance New Views In Philosophy Or Theology, I Cannot Expect To Have Many Adherents Among Minds Altogether Unprepared For Such Views; Yet It Is Certain That Even Those Who Most Fiercely Oppose Me Will Recognize The Power Of My Voice If It Is Not A Mere Echo; And The Very Novelty Will Challenge Attention, And At Last Gain Adherents If My Views Have Any Real Insight.