The perfection preached in the gospels never yet built an empire. Every man of action has a strong dose of egotism, pride, hardness, and cunning.

I am not bad, thank you. But don't worry, one of these days I shall certainly die.

In the tumult of great events, solitude was what I hoped for. Now it is what I love. How is it possible to be contented with anything else when one has come face to face with history?

The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.

You'll live. Only the best get killed.

One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day was; one cannot judge life until death.

Once upon a time there was an old country, wrapped up in habit and caution. We have to transform our old France into a new country and marry it to its time.