Margaret Mitchell

Scarlett's mind went back through the years to the still hot noon at Tara when grey smoke curled above a blue-clad body and Melanie stood at the top of the stairs with Charles' sabre in her hand. Scarlett remembered that she had thought at the time: 'How silly! Melly couldn't even heft that sword!' But now she knew that had the necessity arisen, Melanie would have charged down those stairs and killed the Yankee - or been killed herself.

The liar was the hottest to defend his veracity, the coward his courage, the ill-bred his gentlemanliness, and the cad his honor

With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.

Yes, I want money more than anything else in the world.___hen you__e made the only choice. But there__ a penalty attached, as there is to most things you want. It__ loneliness.

Like most girls, her imagination carried her just as far as the altar and no further.

Yes, as Rhett had prophesied, marriage could be a lot of fun. Not only was it fun but she was learning many things. That was odd in itself, because Scarlett had thought life could teach her no more. Now she felt like a child, every day on the brink of a new discovery.

Don't you suppose men get surprised after they're married to findthat their wives do have sense?""Well, it's too late den. Dey's already mahied.

I was right when I said I__ never look back. It hurts too much, it drags at your heart till you can__ ever do anything else except look back.

But how nice it would be to know that some good Yankee woman - And there must be SOME good Yankee women. I don__ care what people say, they can__ all be bad! How nice it would be to know that they pulled weeds off our men__ graves and brought flowers to them, even if they were enemies. If Charlie were dead in the North it would comfort me to know that someone - And I don__ care what you ladies think of me,_ her voice broke again, __ will withdraw from both clubs and I__l _ I__l pull up every weed off every Yankee__ grave I can find and I__l plant flowers, too _ and _ I just dare anyone to stop me!

I wonder if anyone but me realizes what goes on in that head back of your deceptively sweet face.

But she knew that no matter what beauty lay behind, it must remain there. No one could go forward with a load of aching memories.

In fact, the mothers of all her girl friends impressed on their daughters the necessity of being helpless, clinging, doe-eyed creatures. Really, it took alot of sense to cultivate and hold such a pose.

Why is it a girl has to be so silly to catch a husband?___h specs it__ kase gempmums doan know whut dey wants. Dey jes_ knows whut dey thinks dey wants. An_ givin_ dem whut dey thinksdey wants saves a pile of mizry an_ bein_ a ole maid. An_ dey thinks dey wants mousy lil gals wid bird__ tastes an_ no sense atall. It doan make a gempmum feel lak mahyin_ a lady ef he suspicions she got mo_ sense dan he has.

Ellen's life was not easy, nor was it happy, but she did not expect life to be easy, and, if it was not happy, that was woman's lot. It was a man's world, and she accepted it as such. The man owned the property, and the woman managed it. The man took credit for the management, and the woman praised his cleverness. The man roared like a bull when a splinter was in his finger, and the woman muffled the moans of childbirth, lest she disturb him. Men were rough of speech and often drunk. Women ignored the lapses of speech and put the drunkards to bed without bitter words. Men were rude and outspoken, women were always kind, gracious and forgiving.

Why, why, her mind stuttered, I believe women could manage everything in the world without men__ help--except having babies, and God knows, no woman in her right mind would have babies if she could help it.

She thinks I'm a hussy,' thought Scarlett. 'And perhaps she's right at that!

You're Ma's own blood son, but did she take on that time Tony Fontaine shot you in the leg? No, she just sent for old Doc Fontaine to dress it and asked the doctor what ailed Tony's aim. Said she guessed the licker was spoiling his marksmanship.

I told you once before that there were two times for making big money, one in the up-building of a country and the other in its destruction. Slow money on the up-building, fast money in the crack-up. Remember my words. Perhaps they may be of use to you some day. (Rhett Butler)