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Im ‘Don Quijote’ habe ich gestern nachmittags und abends bei der Musik im Blauen Salon manches gelesen und will jetzt im Deckstuhl, einer Transposition von Hans Castirps vorzüglichem Liegestuhl ins andere Extrem, damit fortfahren. Welch ein eigentümliches Monument! – seiner Zeit unterworfen im Geschmack, mehr als seine gegen diesen Geschmack gerichtete Satire es wahrhaben möchte, auch in der oft genug nichts als unterwürfigen und loyalen Gesinnung, und doch im Dichterisch-Empfindungsmäβigen frei, kritisch und menschheitlich über die Zeit hinausragend.

'Now, David,' he [i.e. Mr Murdstone] said - and I saw that cast again as he said it - 'you must be far more careful today than usual.' He gave the cane another poise, and another switch; and having finished his preparation of it, laid it down beside him, with an impressive look, and took up his book.

This was a good freshener to my presence of mind, as a beginning. I felt the words of my lessons slipping off, not one by one, or line by line, but by the entire page; I tried to lay hold of them; but they seemed, if I may so express it, to have put skates on, and to skim away from me with a smoothness there was no checking.

Reiselektüre – ein Gattungsbegriff voller Anklänge der Minderwertigkeit. Die Meinung ist weitverbreitet, was man auf Reisen lese, müsse vom Leichtesten und Seichtesten sein, dummes Zeug, das ‚die Zeit vertriebe‘. Ich habe das niemals verstanden. Dann abgesehen davon, daβ sogenannte Unterhaltungslektüre zweifellos die langweiligste auf Erden ist, will mir nicht eingehen, warum man gerade bei so festlichernster Gelegenheit, wie eine Reise sie darstellt, unter seine geistigen Gewohnheiten hinabgehen und sich aufs Alberne verlegen sollte. […] Der ‚Don Quijote‘ ist ein Weltbuch, - für eine Weltreise ist das gerade das Rechte.

[...], and caring as little for what went on about him, terrestrially, as Archimedes at the taking of Syracuse.

Diogenes the man did not speak plainer to Alexander the Great than Diogenes the dog spoke to Florence.

Bjørnson fryda seg:

Herligt å kjøre in igjæn i Romerlugten, Romersorgløsheden, Romerskjønheden nedover til Capo le case 18. alle fire, […].

Du skal ikkje undertrykkja ein innflyttar! De veir korleis det kjennest å vera innflyttar, for de har sjølve vore innflyttarar i Egypt.

(2 Mos 23,9)

Oh thank GOD, all who see it, for that older fashion yet, of Immortality! And look upon us, angels of young children, with regards not quite estranged, when the swift river bears us to the ocean!

‘Dear me, dear me! To think,’ said Miss Tox, bursting out afresh that night, as if her heart were broken, ‘that Dombey and Son should be a Daughter after all!’

‘Dombey, Dombey,’ said Miss Blimber, ‘I begin to be afraid you are a sad boy. When you don’t know the meaning of an expression, why don’t you seek for information?’

‘Mrs Pipchin told me I wasn’t to ask questions,’ returned Paul.

‘I must beg you not to mention Mrs Pipchin to me, on any account, Dombey,’ returned Miss Blimber. ‘I couldn’t think of allowing it. The course of study here, is very far removed from anything of that sort. A repetition of such allusions would make it necessary for me to request to hear, without a mistake, before breakfast-time to-morrow morning, from Verbum personale down to simillimia cygno.’

When the Midsummer vacation approached, no indecent manifestations of joy were exhibited by the leaden-eyed young gentlemen assembled at Doctor Blimber’s. Any such violent expression as ‘breaking up,’ would have been quite inapplicable to that polite establishment. The young gentlemen oozed away, semi-annually, to their own homes; but they never broke up. They would have scorned the action.

Unless young Toots had some idea on the subject, to the expression of which he was wholly unequal. Ideas, like ghosts (according to the common notion of ghosts), must be spoken to a little before they will explain themselves; and Toots had long left off asking any questions of his own mind.

It was a wonder that the great clock in the hall, instead of being constant to its first inquiry, never said, ‘Gentlemen, we will now resume our studies,’ for that phrase was often enough repeated in its neighbourhood. The studies went round like a mighty wheel, and the young gentlemen were always stretched upon it.

‘Now, Dombey,’ said Miss Blimber. ‘How have you got on with those books?’

They comprised a little English, and a deal of Latin — names of things, declensions of articles and substantives, exercises thereon, and preliminary rules — a trifle of orthography, a glance at ancient history, a wink or two at modern ditto, a few tables, two or three weights and measures, and a little general information. When poor Paul had spelt out number two, he found he had no idea of number one; fragments whereof afterwards obtruded themselves into number three, which slided into number four, which grafted itself on to number two. So that whether twenty Romuluses made a Remus, or hic haec hoc was troy weight, or a verb always agreed with an ancient Briton, or three times four was Taurus a bull, were open questions with him.

[...]: and that Tozer. whose mind was affected in his sleep by similar causes, in a minor degree, talked unknown tongues, or scraps of Greek and Latin - it was all one to Paul - which, in the silence of night, had an inexpressibly wicked and guilty effect.