“The Yankee mind was quick and sharp, but mainly it was singularly honest.’’

— Van Wyck Brooks (1886-1963), historian and critic, in The Flowering of New England

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“The New England conscience does not stop you from doing what you shouldn’t; it just stops you from enjoying. it .’’

— Cleveland Amory (1917-1998), writer and animal-rights advocate. He came from a Boston Brahmin family.