Though, with the ascendancy of Louis, the political power of the nobles finally came to an end, France remained, in the whole complexion of her social life, completely aristocratic.

It is perhaps as difficult to write a good life as to live one.

With a very few exceptions, every word in the French vocabulary comes straight from the Latin.

Perhaps the best test of a man's intelligence is his capacity for making a summary.

The genius of the French language, descended from its single Latin stock, has triumphed most in the contrary direction - in simplicity, in unity, in clarity, and in restraint.

Englishmen have always loved Moliere.

When Louis XIV assumed the reins of government France suddenly and wonderfully came to her maturity; it was as if the whole nation had burst into splendid flower.