For in Paris, whenever God puts a pretty woman there (the streets), the Devil, in reply, immediately puts a fool to keep her.

I did not want to be taken for a fool-the typical French reason for performing the worst of deeds without remorse.

They had...finished their lives before their death - which is not always the end of life and often comes long before the end.

Passions are less mischievous than boredom, for passions tend to diminish and boredom increase.

The artist's morality lies in the force and truth of his description.

For in Paris, whenever God puts a pretty woman there (the streets), the Devil, in reply, immediately puts a fool to keep her.

The crimes of extreme civilization are probably worse than those of extreme barbarism, because of their refinement, the corruption they presuppose, and their superior degree of intellectuality.