That man has missed something who has never left a brothel at sunrise feeling like throwing himself into the river out of pure disgust.
Gustave FlaubertCriticism occupies the lowest place in the literary hierarchy: as regards form, almost always; and as regards moral value, incontestably. It comes after rhyming games and acrostics, which at least require a certain inventiveness.
Gustave FlaubertShe was as sated with him as he was tired of her. Emma had rediscovered in adultery all the banality of marriage.
Gustave FlaubertI am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within.
Gustave FlaubertSince you are now studying geometry and trigonometry, I will give you a problem. A ship sails the ocean. It left Boston with a cargo of wool. It grosses 200 tons. It is bound for Le Havre. The mainmast is broken, the cabin boy is on deck, there are 12 passengers aboard, the wind is blowing East-North-East, the clock points to a quarter past three in the afternoon. It is the month of May. How old is the captain?
Gustave Flaubert