The idea of bringing someone into the world fills me with horror. I would curse myself if I were a father. A son of mine! Oh no, no, no! May my entire flesh perish and may I transmit to no one the aggravations and the disgrace of existence.
Gustave FlaubertThere was an air of indifference about them, a calm produced by the gratification of every passion; and through their manners were suave, one could sense beneath them that special brutality which comes from the habit of breaking down half-hearted resistances that keep one fit and tickle oneโs vanityโthe handling of blooded horses, the pursuit of loose women.
Gustave FlaubertWriting this book I am like a man playing the piano with lead balls attached to his knuckles.
Gustave FlaubertFor a long time now my heart has had its shutters closed, its steps deserted, formerly a tumultuous hotel, but now empty and echoing like a great empty tomb.
Gustave Flaubert