But why do you look so cross?
Does it hurt your sense of the family dignity ?' 'It does, rather,' said Gerald.

'If you're doing a thing, do it properly, and if you're not going to do it properly, leave it alone.' 'Very nice aphorism,' said Birkin.
'Don't you agree ?' asked Gerald.
'Quite,' said Birkin.

'Only it bores me rather, when you become aphoristic.' 'Damn you, Rupert, you want all the aphorisms your own way,' said Gerald.
'No.

I want them out of the way, and you're always shoving them in it.' Gerald smiled grimly at this humorism.

Then he made a little gesture of dismissal, with his eyebrows.
'You don't believe in having any standard of behaviour at all, do you ?' he challenged Birkin, censoriously.
'Standard--no.