Either the soul is immortal and we shall not die, or it perishes with the flesh and we shall not know that we are dead. Live, then, as if you were eternal.

Men fear silence as they fear solitude, because both give them a glimpse of the terror of life's nothingness.

An old man, having retired from active life, regains the gaity and irresponsibility of childhood. He is ready to play, he cannot run with his son, but he can totter with his grandson. Our first and last steps have the same rhythm.

Growing old is no more than a bad habit which a busy person has no time to form.

The reading of a fine book is an uninterrupted dialogue in which the book speaks and our soul replies.

Two human beings anchored to one another are like two ships shaken by waves; their carcases collide with one another and creak.

A friend loves you for your intelligence, a mistress for your charm, but your family's love is unreasoning; you were born into it and are of its flesh and blood. Nevertheless it can irritate you more than any group of people in the world.