When I think of all the books still left for me to read, I am certain of further happiness.

Life is what our character makes it. We fashion it, as a snail does its shell. A man can say: I never made a fortune because it is not in my character to be rich.

Writing is a way of talking without being interrupted.

There is a justice, but we do not always see it. Discreet, smiling, it is there, at one side, a little behind injustice, which makes a big noise.

Be modest! It is the kind of pride least likely to offend.

It is easy for a somebody to be modest, but it is difficult to be modest when one is a nobody.

The profession of letters is, after all, the only one in which one can make no money without being ridiculous.