Quotes from Owen Wister

she would watch him with eyes that were fuller of love than of understanding.

But if I had lived to be twenty-nine years old like I am, and with all my chances made no enemy, I'd feel myself a failure.

Often when I have camped here, it has made me want to become the ground, become the water, become the trees, mix with the whole thing. Not know myself from it. Never unmix again.

I would mind it less, said Mrs. Westfall, if you looked a bit sorry or ashamed. The Virginian shook his head at her penitently. I'm tryin' to, he said

They're pretty near the color of your eyes. Never mind my eyes. Can't help it, ma'am. Not since South Fork

He looked pleased. I reckon, he said, I couldn't be so good if I wasn't bad onced in a while

Who is he? Nobody! cried Molly, with indignation. Then you shouldn't answer so loud, said the great-aunt

Stand on your laigs you polecat, and admit you're a liar!

In no company had I ever felt so much an outsider. Yet I liked the company, and wished that it would like me.

Has any botanist set down what the seed of love is? Has it anywhere been set down in how many ways this seed may be sown? In what various vessels of gossamer it can float across wide spaces? Or upon what different soils it can fall, and live unknown, and bide its time for blooming?

We all know what birds of a feather do. And it may be safely surmised that if a bird of any particular feather has been for a long while unable to see other birds of its kind, it will flock with them all the more assiduously when they happen to alight in its vicinity.

Said Aristotle unto Plato, 'Have another sweet potato?' Said Plato unto Aristotle, 'Thank you, I prefer the bottle.'

The creature we call a GENTLEMAN lies deep in the hearts of thousands that are born without chance to master the outward graces of the type.

He possessed that quality in his profanity of not offending by it.

Go on so! I don't reckon yu' know what you're sayin'. Yu' might as well ask fruit to stay green. If the way we are now can keep bein' enough for you, it can't for me. A pleasure to you, is it? Well, to me it is—I don't know what to call it. I come to yu' and I hate it, and I come again and I hate it, and I ache and grieve all over when I go. No! You will have to think of some other way than just invitin' me to keep green

You are speakin' low like me," he answered. "But we have no dream we can wake from

Dr. MacBride had a manner of saying "pardon me," which rendered forgiveness well-nigh impossible.

Nothing's queer," stated the Virginian, "except marriage and lightning. Them two occurrences can still give me a sensation of surprise.

Many an act that man does is right or wrong according to the time and place which form, so to speak, its context; strip it of its surrounding circumstances, and you tear away its meaning. Gentlemen reformers, beware of this common practice of yours! Beware of calling an act evil on Tuesday because that same act was evil on Monday!

But this I can say: to call any act evil, instantly begs the question. Many an act that man does is right or wrong according to the time and place which form, so to speak, its context; strip it of its surrounding circumstances, and you tear away its meaning.

There can be no doubt of this: All America is divided into two classes,- the quality and the equality.

She spoke in accents light and well intrenched. "I wish to say that I have never liked any man better than you. But I expect to!" He must have drawn small comfort from such an answer as that. But he laughed out indomitably: "Don't yu' go betting on any such expectation!

Well, he took dying as naturally as he took living. Like a man should. Like I hope to." Again he looked at the pictures in his mind. "No play-acting nor last words. He just told good-by to the boys as we led his horse under the limb

When a man ain't got no ideas of his own," said Scipio, "he'd ought to be kind o' careful who he borrows 'em from.