"I cannot imagine how you could have supported life for a day under such conditions." Her stepmother sighed.
"That," she said, "is because you have had so little experience of life, and you do not understand its practical necessities.

Children like you seem to think that the commonplace necessaries of life drop into our laps as a matter of course, or that they are a sort of gift from Heaven to the deserving.

As a matter of fact," the Princess continued, "nothing of the sort happens.

Life is often a very cruel and a very difficult thing.

We are given tastes, and no means to gratify them.