I have always derived indescribable pleasure from leading a decent woman to the edge of sin and leaving her there to live between the temptation and the fear of that sin.

If there is a God, atheism must seem to Him as less of an insult than religion.

Laughter is the mind's intonation. There are ways of laughing which have the sound of counterfeit coins.

Debauchery is perhaps an act of despair in the face of infinity.

I feel sure that coups d'état would go much better if there were seats, boxes, and stalls so that one could see what was happening and not miss anything.

There are only two great currents in the history of mankind: the baseness which makes conservatives and the envy which makes revolutionaries.

Princes enjoy themselves like children in the company of ordinary human beings.