“It is needless to say how great has been the influence of the doctrine of Evolut…” — Goldwin Smith

We must also be permitted to bear in mind that evolution, though it may explain everything else, cannot explain itself.

I heard Thackeray thank Heaven for the purity of Dickens. I thanked Heaven for the purity of a greater than Dickens - Thackeray himself.

The novelist must ground his work in faithful study of human nature.

The natural barriers between England and Scotland were not sufficient to prevent the extension of the Saxon settlements and kingdoms across the border.