Mary Shelley

Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge.

I had rather be a worm than a god, if I am to be a god without the power of blessing my fellow creatures.

The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.

I felt as if I had committed a great crime, and I was tortured by the thought of what I had done.

I am alone and miserable. Only someone as ugly as myself could love me.

The path of my departure was not free; and there was a strange curse upon my head.

My heart was full, and I struggled to give utterance to my feelings.

I was a wreck—but a wreck that still breathed.

I was seized by remorse and the keenest agony.

The human mind is not a machine, to be wound up and set going at pleasure.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.

I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew not what to do.

I am a creature of another clime, and my thoughts are not your thoughts.

I was born to be a wanderer, and I have wandered over the face of the earth.

I was a child of love and light, but I was cast out into the darkness.

I was a solitary being, and I had no one to love me.

I was a victim of circumstances, and I was driven to commit crimes.

I was a monster, and I was hated by all.

I was a fiend, and I was doomed to eternal misery.

I was a being of no name, and I had no place in the world.