That said, deciding to avoid other people does not necessarily equate with having no desire whatsoever for company; it may simply reflect a dissatisfaction with what—or who—is available. Cynics are, in the end, only idealists with awkwardly high standards. In Chamfort's words, 'It is sometimes said of a man who lives alone that he does not like society. This is like saying of a man that he does not like going for walks because he is not fond of walking at night in the forêt de Bondy.

One of the best protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on.

There is real danger of a disconnect between what's on your business card and who you are deep inside, and it's not a disconnect that the world is ready to be patient with.

Forcing people to eat together is an effective way to promote tolerance.

Everyone returns us to a different sense of ourselves, for we become a little of who they think we are.

The more dignity is widely and freely available in a society, the less people want to be famous.

We wanted to test each other's capacity for survival: only if we had tried in vain to destroy one another would we know we were safe.