And I refused to make any sacrifices; for nothing on earth seemed more valuable than my peace of mind, my pleasure and my acclaim.

God abandons only those who abandon themselves, and whoever has the courage to shut up his sorrow within his own heart is stronger to fight against it than he who complains.

Writing a journal means that facing your ocean you are afraid to swim across it, so you attempt to drink it drop by drop.

Travelling is like a novel: it's what happens that counts.

I love everything that makes up a milieu, the rolling of the carriages and the noise of the workmen in Paris, the cries of a thousand birds in the country, the movement of the ships on the waters. I love also absolute, profound silence, and, in short, I love everything that is around me, no matter where I am.

Simplicity is the most difficult thing to secure in this world; it is the last limit of experience and the last effort of genius.

Sex is the most respectable and holy thing in all creation, the most serious act in life.