He who fights with priests may make up his mind to have his poor good name torn and befouled by the most infamous lies and the most cutting slanders.

The butterfly long loved the beautiful rose, And flirted around all day; While round him in turn with her golden caress, Soft fluttered the sun's warm ray.... I know not with whom the rose was in love, But I know that I loved them all. The butterfly, rose, and the sun's bright ray, The star and the bird's sweet call.

Like a great poet, Nature knows how to produce the greatest effects with the most limited means.

No author is a man of genius to his publisher.

The negro king desired to be portrayed as white. But do not laugh at the poor African; for every man is but another negro king, and would like to appear in a color different from that with which Fate has bedaubed him.

Every period of time is a sphinx that throws itself into the abyss as soon as its riddle has been solved.

Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings.