He who draws noble delights from sentiments of poetry is a true poet, though he has never written a line in all his life.

I regard as a mortal sin not only the lying of the senses in matters of love, but also the illusion which the senses seek to create where love is only partial. I say, I believe, that one must love with all of one's being, or else live, come what may, a life of complete chastity.

The life of great geniuses is nothing but a sublime storm.

The whole secret of the study of nature lies in learning how to use one's eyes.

One never knows how much a family may grow; and when a hive is too full, and it is necessary to form a new swarm, each one thinks of carrying away his own honey.

Masterpieces are only lucky attempts.

Talent, will and genius are natural phenomena like the lake, the volcano, the mountain, the wind, the star, the cloud.