He has the face and surliness of a mastiff, which has often saved him from being treated like a cur, till some more sagacious than ordinary found his nature, and used him accordingly.
Surliness is the sin of those who are ungracious in their manners, not because of hate or anger, but because of a desire to be unpleasant and to make others yield to themselves.
But entirely different from surliness is that dignity which can be reserved without being distant or hard of approach, and that seriousness which can be grave or silent without being ungracious.
Like to surliness is the boorishness of those who from cynicism or laziness despise refinement, or from greed neglect proper manners at table.
Surliness is per se worse than adulation but not a mortal sin; for it is farther removed from affability than adulation, but does not necessarily inflict a severe wound on charity.
Next, his anger could not subdue itself beyond surliness on her appearing, and the surliness lasted through the first part of breakfast.
We found their surliness insufferable; even when we were passing from poop to forecastle, landing or boarding, they grumbled forth their dissatisfaction.
He answered courteously when spoken to, as he always did, and there was no suggestion of surliness in his silence.
You’re not fit for this sort of thing,” Tom said to him after he had broken through the man’s moody surliness and silence.
The Master said, “Formerly also, by your surliness and your refusing to accept the admonition of the wise, you were caught in a snare and came to destruction.
Surliness in excess they might have, but dignity, not at all.
An analyst would have said that the outward surliness was after all only a mask for an inner questioning--the inarticulate stress of a cramped and aspiring spirit.
He stood unshrinking, partly encouraged by the consciousness of personal strength, and partly by a rugged surliness of temper, which is often mistaken among persons of this kind for real courage.
Otherwise her mistress nowise mishandled or threatened her, though she had gone back to the surlinessand railing which was her wont.
And therewith she fell to telling her of her days in the House under the Wood, and the witch and her surliness and grimness, and of her love of the wild things, and how she waxed there.
Perforce," said I ungraciously, perceiving surliness to be the key to the respect of such a creature; "a king might thank Heaven for a kennel on such a night as this.
Yet his inveterate surliness the rascal could not wholly conquer.
