Je puis nier une chose sans me croire obligé de la salir ou de retirer aux autres le droit d'y croire.

A sub-clerk in the post office is the equal of a conqueror if consciousness is common to them. All experiences are indifferent in this regard. There are some that do either a service or a disservice to man. They do him a service if he is conscious. Otherwise, that has no importance: a man's failures imply judgment, not of circumstances, but of himself.

The slave begins by demanding justice and ends by wanting to wear a crown.

Working conditions for me have always been those of the monastic life: solitude and frugality. Except for frugality, they are contrary to my nature, so much so that work is a violence I do to myself.

Creating is living doubly. The groping, anxious quest of a Proust, his meticulous collecting of flowers, of wallpapers, and of anxieties, signifies nothing else.

Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.

My life was lucky so that I met, I loved (and disappointed) only outstanding people.