"There is something pagan in me that I cannot shake off."

"I have always been a lover of paradoxes."

"I hate things all fiction… there should always be some foundation of fact for the most airy fabric and pure invention is but the talent of a liar."

"I am a lover of liberty, and I cannot bear to see it trampled under foot."

"I have imbibed such a love for money that I keep some sequins in a drawer to count, and cry over them once a week."