Man wants to live, but it is useless to hope that this desire will dictate all his actions.

The current motto for all of us can only be this: without giving up anything on the plane of justice, yield nothing on the plane of freedom.

Since we're all going to die, it's obvious that when and how don't matter.

It is necessary to fall in love... if only to provide an alibi for all the random despair you are going to feel anyway.

For those of us who have been thrown into hell, mysterious melodies and the torturing images of a vanished beauty will always bring us, in the midst of crime and folly, the echo of that harmonious insurrection which bears witness, throughout the centuries, to the greatness of humanity.

We always deceive ourselves twice about the people we love - first to their advantage, then to their disadvantage.

I know [my label], in any case: a double face, a charming Janus, and underneath, the house motto: "Be wary". On my business cards:"Jean-Baptiste Clamence, actor".