Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss.

Through the ingenuousness of her age beamed an ardent mind, a mind not of the women but of the poet; she did not please, she intoxicated.

The air in Provence is impregnated with the aroma of garlic, which makes it very healthful to breathe.

No, I slept as I always do when I am bored and have not the courage to amuse myself, or when I am hungry and have not the desire to eat.--The Count of Monte Cristo

...joy takes a strange effect at times, it seems to oppress us almost the same as sorrow.

The merit of all things lies in their difficulty.

The custom and fashion of today will be the awkwardness and outrage of tomorrow - so arbitrary are these transient laws.