I am not sure that the discovery of love is necessarily more exquisite than the discovery of poetry.

Love is a punishment. We are punished for not having been strong enough to remain alone.

age means nothing. If anything I feel that I'm still a child: eternity and childhood are my ages.

No one understands eternity. One simply recognizes its existence.

It is not difficult to nourish admirable thoughts when the stars are present.

Sickness disgusts us with death, and we wish to get well, which is a way of wishing to live. But weakness and suffering, with manifold bodily woes, soon discourage the invalid from trying to regain ground: he tires of those respites which are but snares, of that faltering strength, those ardors cut short, and that perpetual lying in wait for the next attack.

Little soul, gentle and drifting, guest and companion of my body, now you will dwell below in pallid places, stark and bare; there you will abandon your play of yore. But one moment still, let us gaze together on these familiar shores, on these objects which doubtless we shall not see again....Let us try, if we can, to enter into death with open eyes.