The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories of the Four Million Quotes

“If you live in an atmosphere of luxury, luxury is yours whether your money pays for it, or another's.”
― O. Henry, The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories of the Four Million

“We often hear "shop-girls" spoken of. No such persons exist. There are girls who work in shops. They make their living that way. But why turn their occupation into an adjective? Let us be fair. We do not refer to the girls who live on Fifth Avenue as "marriage-girls.”
― O. Henry, The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories of the Four Million

“In a little district west of Washington Square the streets have run crazy and broken themselves into small strips called "places." These "places" make strange angles and curves. One street crosses itself a time or two. An artist once discovered a valuable possibility in this street. Suppose a collector with a bill for paints, paper and canvas should, in traversing this route, suddenly meet himself coming back, without a cent having been paid on account!”
― O. Henry, The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories of the Four Million