One must laugh and weep, love, work, enjoy and suffer, in short vibrate as much as possible in all his being.

Remembering the ball became for Emma a daily occupation. Every time Wednesday came round, she told herself when she woke up: 'Ah! One week ago...two weeks ago...three weeks ago, I was there!' And, little by little, in her memory, the faces all blurred together; she forgot the tunes of the quadrilles; no longer could she so clearly picture the liveries and the rooms; some details disappeared, but the yearning remained.

Stupidity lies in wanting to draw conclusions.

Be orderly and disciplined in daily life, like a good bourgeois, so that I might be wild and violent in my art.

Writing this book I am like a man playing the piano with lead balls attached to his knuckles.

Thought is the greatest of pleasures —pleasure itself is only imagination—have you ever enjoyed anything more than your dreams?

Tout ce qu'on invente est vrai, soi-en sure. La poesie est une chose aussi precise que la geometrie.