The secret of a great success for which you are at a loss to account is a crime that has never been found out, because it was properly executed.
Honore de BalzacPerhaps it is only human nature to inflict suffering on anything that will endure suffering, whether by reason of its genuine humility, or indifference, or sheer helplessness.
Honore de BalzacThis surface good-nature which captivates a new acquaintance and is no bar to treachery, which knows no scruple and is never at fault for an excuse, which makes an outcry at the wound which it condones, is one of the most distinctive features of the journalist. This camaraderie (the word is a stroke of genius) corrodes the noblest minds; it eats into their pride like rust, kills the germ of great deeds, and lends a sanction to moral cowardice.
Honore de BalzacDanger arouses interest. Where death is involved, the vilest criminal invariably stirs a little compassion.
Honore de Balzac