Remorse is impotent; it will repeat its faults. Repentance only is a true force; it puts an end to everything.

The secret of the nobility and beauty of great ladies lies in the art with which they can shed their veils. In such situations, they become like ancient statues. If they kept the merest scarf on, they would be lewd. Your bourgeois woman will always try to cover her nakedness.

Remorse is impotent; it will repeat its faults. Repentance only is a true force; it puts an end to everything.

A man may and ought to pride himself more on his will than on his talent.

What is a child, monsieur, but the image of two beings, the fruit of two sentiments spontaneously blended?

Nothing is so discreet as a young face, for nothing is less mobile; it has the serenity, the surface smoothness, and the freshnessof a lake. There is no character in women's faces before the age of thirty.

In painting, you can suddenly come upon something so huge that no-one can deal with it.