There are only two distinct classes of people on this earth, those who espouse enthusiasm and those who despise it.
Madame de StaelThe entire social order ... is arrayed against a woman who wants to rise to a man's reputation.
Madame de StaelHow true it is that, sooner or later, the' most rebellious must bow beneath the yoke of misfortune!
Madame de StaelConversation as talent exists only in France. In other countries, conversation provides politeness, discussion, and friendship; in France, it is an art for which imagination and soul are certainly very welcome, but which can also provide its own secret remedies to compensate you for the absence of either or both, if you so desire.
Madame de Stael