Oh, they loved dearly: their souls kissed, they kissed with their eyes, they were both but one single kiss.

I care little in the existence of a heaven or hell; self respect does not allow me to guide my acts with an eye toward heavenly salvation or hellish punishment. I pursue the good in life because it is beautiful and attracts me; and shun the bad because it is ugly and repulsive. All our acts should originate from the spring of unselfish love, whether there be a continuation after death or not.

Pretty women without religion are like flowers without perfume.

I bequeath all my property to my wife on the condition that she remarry immediately. Then there will be at least one man to regret my death.

At first I was almost about to despair, I thought I never could bear it — but I did I bear it. The question remains: how?

Nothing is sillier than this charge of plagiarism. There is no sixth commandment in art. The poet dare help himself wherever he lists, wherever he finds material suited to his work. He may even appropriate entire columns with their carved capitals, if the temple he thus supports be a beautiful one. Goethe understood this very well, and so did Shakespeare before him.

Every woman is the gift of a world to me.