Wit lies in recognizing the resemblance among things which differ and the difference between things which are alike.

in Italy, almost at every step, history and poetry add to the graces of nature, sweeten the memory of the past, and seem to preserve it in eternal youth.

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.

We understand death for the first time when he puts his hand upon one whom we love

Self-love, so sensitive in its own cause, has rarely any sympathy to spare for others.

There is no second country for an Englishman, except a ship and the sea.

Poetry is the apotheosis of sentiment.