If it’s a sin, then it is a sin, but better be struck dead by thunder than live like this.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of 233 Short Stories of Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

He will be driven back to the place where instinct and reason begin.
— from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana

The house, with all its crumbling antiquity and apparent misery, was yet cheerful and picturesque, and was the same that old Dantès formerly inhabited—the only difference being that the old man occupied merely the garret, while the whole house was now placed at the command of Mercédès by the count.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo, Illustrated by Alexandre Dumas

The morrow's dawn bore the torch of Phoebus across the earth, and had rolled away the dewy darkness from the sky, when, scarce herself, she thus opens her confidence to her sister: 'Anna, my sister, such dreams of terror thrill me through!
— from The Aeneid of Virgil by Virgil

It was this idea that had brought Dantès back to the circular rock.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo, Illustrated by Alexandre Dumas

But they were amazed at that hearing, supposing they were of necessity to cut the rock in pieces, now they were distressed by their thirst and by their journey; while Moses only smiting the rock with his rod, opened a passage, and out of it burst water, and that in great abundance, and very clear.
— from Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus

In Logic we ordinarily use the expressions demonstrable or indemonstrable only in respect of propositions , but these might be better designated by the titles respectively of mediately and immediately certain propositions; for pure Philosophy has also propositions of both kinds, i.e. true propositions, some of which are susceptible of proof and others not.
— from Kant's Critique of Judgement by Immanuel Kant

'Brass can do better than the gold what has stood the fire,' said the second.
— from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

With regard to such things as affect by the associated idea of danger, there can be no doubt but that they produce terror, and act by some modification of that passion; and that terror, when sufficiently violent, raises the emotions of the body just mentioned, can as little be doubted.
— from The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 01 (of 12) by Edmund Burke

The origin of the worship of the Ch’êng-huang dates back to the time of the great Emperor Yao (2357 B.C.), who instituted a sacrifice called Pa Cha in honour of eight spirits, of whom the seventh, Shui Yung, had the Page 166 meaning of, or corresponded to, the dyke and rampart known later as Ch’êng-huang.
— from Myths and Legends of China by E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers) Werner

Then a feminine person did a Castilian dance between the tables.
— from Kent Knowles: Quahaug by Joseph Crosby Lincoln

"As a rule, miss," went on the attendant, "she soon settles after a dose, but this time she seemed to pass into a sort of a trance.
— from The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley by Louis Tracy

On the night of the 11th, a new ditch was dug by the troops led by Bar-on Steu-ben, and for two or three days the foe kept up a fire on the men at work.
— from The Life of George Washington. In Words of One Syllable by Josephine Pollard

And, so I insist, this distinction between the truth and falsity of an opinion that counsels an individual deed is as absolute and irrevocable as is the place of the deed when once done on the score of the game of life.
— from The Sources of Religious Insight by Josiah Royce

and we purchased about 11/2 bushels of those roots for which we gave Some fiew red beeds Small peaces of brass wire & old Check those roots proved a greatfull addition to our Spoiled Elk, which has become verry disagreeable both to the taste & Smell we gave this Chief a Medal of a Small Size and a piece of red riben to tie around the top of his hat which was of a Singular Construction Those people will not Sell all their Wap pa to to us they inform us that they are on their way to trade with the Chit Sops.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark

You think that in the course of my married life a love relation slowly developed between the two young people.
— from Iolanthe's Wedding by Hermann Sudermann

A dead silence reigned around that camp fire for several moments after the two departed; but then the seven strangers who were left seated themselves in various attitudes, filled their pipes—or lit the stubs of half-smoked cigars, produced from their pockets; and after that, little by little, conversation was indulged in.
— from A Woman at Bay; Or, A Fiend in Skirts by Nicholas (House name) Carter

The entire dairy business of the city is in their hands and here they have the help of neither horses nor dogs but take the entire place of the beasts, carrying the heavy cans of milk on their shoulders from door to door; he said: I am not altogether unfamiliar with woman’s work in Europe; I have seen her around the pit mouth, at the forge, and bare foot in the brick yards of “merrie” England; filling blast furnaces and tending coke ovens in “sunny France.”
— from Woman, Church & State The Original Exposé of Male Collaboration Against the Female Sex by Matilda Joslyn Gage

The Act passed by Western Australia provided for the election of the delegates by the two Houses of Parliament sitting as one Chamber, the area of selection being limited to candidates nominated by not less than twenty persons who are qualified to vote at elections for Members of the Assembly.
— from Australasian Democracy by Henry de Rosenbach Walker