'Ugly as they may seem'

Monte Cristo Cottage, in New London, Conn., used mostly as a summer place by playwright Eugene O’Neill’s family when he was growing up. The name of the house, the first part of which was built in 1840s, came from the fact that the most popular and lucrative role of Eugene O'Neill's father, the actor James O'Neill, was as Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo.

— Photo by Ntiprog

— Photo by Staib

“If a person is to get to the meaning of life, he must learn to like the facts about himself — ugly as they may seem to his sentimental vanity — before he can lay hold on the truth behind the facts; and that truth is never ugly!”

Eugene O’Neil (1888-1953), Nobel Prize-winning playwright. He was born in New York City and is buried in Boston’s Forest Hills Cemetery.