The death of a man's wife is like cutting down an ancient oak that has long shaded the family mansion. Henceforth the glare of the world, with its cares and vicissitudes falls upon the old widower's heart, and there is nothing to break their force, or shield him from the full weight of misfortune. It is as if his right hand were withered; as if one wing of his angel was broken, and every movement that he made brought him to the ground.

Civil wars leave nothing but tombs.

God has placed the genius of women in their hearts, because the works of this genius are always works of love.

If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul.

Sometimes, only one person is missing, and the whole world seems depopulated.

If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astonishing results are the three criteria of a human genius, who could dare compare any great man in history with Muhammad?

Man is born barbarous--he is ransomed from the condition of beasts only by being cultivated.