On managing social relationships

Now, my advice to anyone who knows a person with charm, wit, and talent like Emma, and with some wisdom and intelligence, too, and should fall out with them, is to accept any opportunity of making it up. Because life offers only a few of such people.

And it is my advice, when you have to refuse any request that admits of no argument, you should never give reasons or set out your objections; to do so leads to counter-reasons and counter-objections.

My advice to anyone who wishes to categorise people by their faces is that physiognomy is a very uncertain guide to their character, intelligence or place in time and society.

On God

‘Don’t you even believe in God?’

‘Some days I do and some days I don’t,” said Emma Loy. ‘But one thing I do know – in fact I think it is obvious – is that God believes in me.’

I gave her my advice that if I were in her place, with my beliefs coming and going some days yes, some days no, I would have a jolly good time the days I believed and repent the days I didn’t.

On marriage

Now, it is my advice to anyone getting married, that they should first see the other partner when drunk. Especially a man. Drink can mellow, it can sweeten. Too much can make a person silly. Or it can make them savage.

It is my advice to any woman getting married to start, not as you mean to go on, but worse, tougher, than you mean to go on. Then you can slowly relax and it comes as a pleasant surprise.

On times of trouble

It is a good thing to go to Paris for a few days if you have had a lot of trouble, that is my advice to everyone except Parisians.