[Ridicule] laughs at all those who see the earnestness of life and who still believe in true feelings and in serious thought ... It soils the hope of youth. Only shameless vice is above its reach.

nothing is so horrifying as the possibility of existing simply because we do not know how to die.

If one hour's work is enough to govern France, four minutes is all that is needed for Italy. There is no nation more easily frightened; even its poetic imagination predisposes it to fear, and they look upon power as on an image that fills them with terror.

Politeness is the art of choosing among your thoughts.

intellect is a sin that must be atoned for by leading exactly the life of those who have none.

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.

We always cut our poetical theories to suit our talent.