Mary Elizabeth Braddon quotes (showing 1-18 of 18)

“Surely a pretty woman never looks prettier than when making tea.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secrettags: domesticity, prettiness, tea, victorian-society, women83 likeslike“Phoebe Marks was a person who never lost her individuality. Silent and self-contained, she seemed to hold herself within herself, and take no colour from the outer world.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secrettags: ataraxy, individuality, reclusiveness, self-containment, self-reliance, self-sufficiency, silence,solitude17 likeslike“Self-assertion may deceive the ignorant for a time; but when the noise dies away, we cut open the drum, and find it was emptiness that made the music.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Aurora Floydtags: inspirational, observant8 likeslike“Why, I can't help smiling at people, and speaking prettily to them. I know I'm nobetter than the rest of the world; but I can't help it if I'm pleasanter. It's constitutional.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret4 likeslike“They were dreamers—and they dreamt themselves into the cemetery.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Good Lady Ducayne4 likeslike“There were many beautiful vipers in those days and she was one of them. ("Eveline's Visitant")” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, The Gentlewomen of Evil: An Anthology of Rare Supernatural Stories from the Pens of Victorian Ladiestags: evil-women, femme-fatale3 likeslike“He was a student - such things as happened to him, happen sometimes to students.

He was a German - such things as happened to him, happen sometimes to Germans.

He was young, handsome, studious, enthusiastic, metaphysical, reckless, unbelieving, heartless.

And being young, handsome, and eloquent he was beloved. ("The Cold Embrace")”― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Reign of Terror Volume 2: Great Victorian Horror Storiestags: eloquent, handsome, young2 likeslike

“You seem to have quite a taste for discussing these horrible subjects," she said, rather scornfully; "you ought to have been a detective police officer."

"I sometimes think I should have been a good one."

"Why?"

"Because I am patient.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secrettags: crime, detectives, patience2 likeslike“What have you to do with hearts, except for dissection?” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Good Lady Ducayne1 likeslike“And thus they form a perfect group; he walks back two or three paces, selects his point of sight, and begins to sketch a hurried outline. He has finished it before they move; he hears their voices, though he cannot hear their words, and wonders what they can be talking of. Presently he walks on, and joins them.

'You have a corpse there, my friends?' he says. 

'Yes; a corpse washed ashore an hour ago.'

'Drowned?' 

'Yes, drowned; - a young girl, very handsome.' 

'Suicides are always handsome,' he says; and then he stands for a little while idly smoking and meditating, looking at the sharp outline of the corpse and the stiff folds of the rough canvas covering.

Life is such a golden holiday to him young, ambitious, clever - that it seems as though sorrow and death could have no part in his destiny. ("The Cold Embrace")” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Reign of Terror Volume 2: Great Victorian Horror Storiestags: suicide1 likeslike“Being a very quiet young man, without much to say for” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, The Doctor's Wife1 likeslike“George Gilbert took his life as he found it, and had no wish to make it better.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, The Doctor's Wife1 likeslike

“George could only stare at the young lady's kindling face, which lighted up all in a moment, and was suddenly beautiful, like some transparency which seems a dingy picture till you put a lamp behind it. The young surgeon could only stare wonderingly at Mr. Sleaford's daughter, for he hadn't the faintest idea what she and his friend were talking about.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, The Doctor's Wife1 likeslike“That he will haunt the footsteps of his enemy after death is the one revenge which a dying man can promise himself; and if men had power thus to avenge themselves the earth would be peopled with phantoms. ("Eveline's Visitant")” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, The Gentlewomen of Evil: An Anthology of Rare Supernatural Stories from the Pens of Victorian Ladiestags: curse, haunt, oath, revenge, vengeance1 likeslike“Sir Harry Towers cares.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret1 likeslike“The boys are to have theirs in the kitchen,” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, The Doctor's Wife0 likeslike“He forgot that love, which is a madness, and a scourge, and a fever, and a delusion, and a snare, is also a mystery, and very imperfectly understood by everyone except the individual sufferer who writhes under its tortures.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secrettags: love0 likeslike“He was a square, pale-faced man of almost forty, and had the appearance of having outlived every emotion to which humanity is subject.” ― Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret