The Portrait of a Lady

by Henry James

"There's no more usual basis of union than a mutual misunderstanding.

What's the use of being ill and disabled and restricted to mere spectatorship at the game of life if I really can't see the show when I've paid so much for my ticket?

"women rarely boast of their courage. Men do so with a certain frequency."

and in spite of the rain the two ladies often sallied forth for a walk, equipped with the defensive apparatus which the English climate and the English genius have between them brought to such perfection.

The best description of an umbrella ever