Imagination helps the realism of every detail, and only sees the beauties of the work.

A lover always thinks of his mistress first and himself second; with a husband it runs the other way.

What a thing of fantasy a woman may become after dusk.

Solitude is fine, but you need someone to tell you that solitude is fine.

Women? In order to realize how far these charming creatures we idealize can carry their cruelty, we must see them among themselves!

For pain is perhaps but a violent pleasure? Who could determine the point where pleasure becomes pain, where pain is still a pleasure? Is not the utmost brightness of the ideal world soothing to us, while the lightest shadows of the physical world annoy?

A country is strong which consists of wealthy families, every member of whom is interested in defending a common treasure; it is weak when composed of scattered individuals, to whom it matters little whether they obey seven or one, a Russian or a Corsican, so long as each keeps his own plot of land, blind in their wretched egotism, to the fact that the day is coming when this too will be torn from them.