There is not a soul who does not have to beg alms of another, either a smile, a handshake, or a fond eye. – Lord Acton
If some great catastrophe is not announced every morning, we feel a certain void. Nothing in the paper today, we sigh. – Lord Acton
Save for the wild force of Nature, nothing moves in this world that is not Greek in its origin. – Lord Acton
Property is not the sacred right. When a rich man becomes poor it is a misfortune, it is not a moral evil. When a poor man becomes destitute, it is a moral evil, teeming with consequences and injurious to society and morality. – Lord Acton
Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his own running commentary on the preposterous and bewildering events of the hour: and this, nowadays, is what passes for conversation. – Jan Struther, Mrs. Miniver, 1930s