Nothing is irredeemably ugly but sin.
There is nothing original; all is reflected light.
Marriage must incessantly contend with a monster that devours everything: familiarity.
A man's own vanity is a swindler that never lacks for a dupe.
All happiness depends on courage and work. I have had many periods of wretchedness, but with energy and above all with illusions, I pulled through them all.
Today nobility is gone: there is only a peerage.