"Do you suppose a woman knows why she loves? Does she select? Does she say to herself, 'Go to! here is a distinguished statesman with presidential possibilities; I shall proceed to fall in love with him.' or, 'I shall set my heart upon this musician, whose fame is on every tongue?' or 'this financier, who controls the world's money markets?'"

“Edna wondered if they had all gone mad, to be talking and clamoring at that rate. She herself could think of nothing to say about Mexico or the Mexicans.”

“She says a wedding is one of the most lamentable spectacles on earth.”

“The bird that would soar above the plane of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.”

“She could only realize that she herself — her present self — was in some way different from the other self. That she was seeing with different eyes.”

“There was no despondency when she fell asleep that night; nor was there hope when she awoke in the morning.”

“As she swam she seemed to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself.”