The greatest events occur without intention playing any part in them; chance makes good mistakes and undoes the most carefully planned undertaking. The world's greatest events are not produced, they happen.

If all mankind were suddenly to practice honesty, many thousands of people would be sure to starve.

Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together.

Every man has his moral backside which he refrains from showing unless he has to and keeps covered as long as possible with the trousers of decorum.

If all else fails, the character of a man can be recognized by nothing so surely as by a jest which he takes badly.

Man is always partial and is quite right to be. Even impartiality is partial.

Everyone should study at least enough philosophy and belles-lettres to make his sexual experience more delectable.