Prose is like hair; it shines with combing.

For some men, the stronger their desire, the more difficult it is for them to act.

One's duty is to feel what is great, cherish the beautiful, and to not accept the conventions of society with the ignominy that it imposes upon us.

I go from exasperation to a state of collapse, then I recover and go from prostration to Fury, so that my average state is one of being annoyed.

After the pain of this disappointment her heart once more stood empty, and the succession of identical days began again.

Madame Aubain's servant Felicite was the envy of the ladies of Pont-l'Eveque for half a century.

Caught up in life, you see it badly. You suffer from it or enjoy it too much. The artist, in my opinion, is a monstrosity, something outside of nature.