Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves.

Cities are the abyss of the human species.

Civilization is a hopeless race to discover remedies for the evils it produces.

As long as there are rich people in the world, they will be desirous of distinguishing themselves from the poor.

To live is not to breathe but to act. It is to make use of our organs, our senses, our faculties, of all the parts of ourselves which give us the sentiment of our existence. The man who has lived the most is not he who has counted the most years but he who has most felt life.

As soon as any man says of the affairs of the State "What does it matter to me?" the State may be given up for lost.

Whoever blushes confesses guilt, true innocence never feels shame.