Lady Bracknell: A handbag!


--Edith Evans (as Lady Bracknell) in The Importance of Being Earnest

Lady Bracknell: Are your parents living?
Jack Worthing: I have lost both my parents.
Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.


--Edith Evans (as Lady Bracknell) in The Importance of Being Earnest

Lady Bracknell: Do you smoke?
Jack Worthing: Well yes, I must admit I smoke.
Lady Bracknell: I'm glad to hear it. A man should have an occupation of some kind.


--Edith Evans (as Lady Bracknell) in The Importance of Being Earnest

Lady Bracknell: I would strongly advise you, Mr. Worthing, to try and acquire some relations as soon as possible, and to make a definite effort to produce at any rate one parent, of either sex, before the season is quite over.
Jack Worthing: Well, I don't see how I could possibly manage to do that, Lady Bracknell. I can produce the hand-bag at any moment. It is in my dressing-room at home. I really think that should satisfy you, Lady Bracknell.
Lady Bracknell: Me, sir! What has it to do with me? You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter - a girl brought up with the utmost care - to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel? Good morning, Mr. Worthing!


--Edith Evans (as Lady Bracknell) in The Importance of Being Earnest

Lady Bracknell: Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately, in England at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever.


--Edith Evans (as Lady Bracknell) in The Importance of Being Earnest

Lady Bracknell: Thirty-five is an attractive age. London is full of women of the highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years.


--Edith Evans (as Lady Bracknell) in The Importance of Being Earnest

Lady Bracknell: To speak frankly, I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people an opportunity of finding out each other's characters before marriage. Which I think is never advisable


--Edith Evans (as Lady Bracknell) in The Importance of Being Earnest

Mrs. Ross: Are you there?


--Edith Evans (as Mrs. Ross) in The Whisperers

Mrs. Tanner: I'm just going to have a look at me husband's grave, make sure it's kept nice. You know, if you don't keep an eye on things people steal the flower boxes and grass grows all over the place. I wouldn't want him to think I was neglecting him.


--Edith Evans (as Mrs. Tanner) in Look Back in Anger

Mrs. Tanner: We had lots of fun, him and me. Being alive, just being alive. That's enough for an old girl like me. Chewing the cud and having a little of what you fancy.


--Edith Evans (as Mrs. Tanner) in Look Back in Anger