Lapham’s Quarterly

Gossip is a sort of smoke that comes from the dirty tobacco pipes of those who diffuse it; it proves nothing but the bad taste of the smoker.

Journalists belong in the gutter, because that is where the ruling classes throw their guilty secrets.

The slander of some people is as great a recommendation as the praise of others.

Ridicule often checks what is absurd, and fully as often smothers that which is noble.

The one thing the world will never have enough of is the outrageous.

One of the things men should most strive to do is win a good reputation and see that no one questions it.

The history of the world is the record of the weakness, frailty, and death of public opinion.

The older one grows, the more one likes indecency.

Shamelessness is the shame of being without shame.

There is a demon who puts wings on certain tales and launches them like eagles out into space.