Nothing is unimportant to a man plunged in despair. He is as credulous as a criminal sentenced to death who listens to a lunatic raving to him about how he can escape through the keyhole.

The errors of women spring, almost always, from their faith in the good, or their confidence in the true

Gratitude is a fool's word; we find it in the dictionary, but it is not in the heart of man.

On the moral plane, true friends enjoy the same protection as the sense of smell confers upon dogs. They scent the sorrow of their friends, they divine its causes, and they clasp it to their minds and hearts.

A monster which devours everything - that is familiarity.

Like evil, sublimity is also contagious.

As a rule, only the poor are generous. Rich people can always find excellent reasons for not handing over twenty thousand francs to a relative.