Tombs decked by the arts can scarcely represent death as a formidable enemy; we do not, indeed, like the ancients, carve sports and dances in the sarcophagus, but thought is diverted from the bier by works that tell of immortality, even from the altar of death.

One must choose in life between boredom and suffering.

Innocence in genius, and candor in power, are both noble qualities.

The mystery of existence is the connection between our faults and our misfortunes.

Search for the truth is the noblest occupation of man; its publication is a duty.

Men err from selfishness; women because they are weak.

Conversation 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.