No lover, if he be of good faith, and sincere, will deny he would prefer to see his mistress dead than unfaithful.

There is no more lively sensation than that of pain; its impressions are certain and dependable, they never deceive as may those of the pleasure women perpetually feign and almost never experience.

We monsters are necessary to nature also.

The mirror sees the man as beautiful, the mirror loves the man; another mirror sees the man as frightful and hates him; and it is always the same being who produces the impressions.

One must do violence to the object of one's desire; when it surrenders, the pleasure is greater.

To judge from the notions expounded by theologians, one must conclude that God created most men simply with a view to crowding hell.

Man's natural character is to imitate; that of the sensitive man is to resemble as closely as possible the person whom he loves. It is only by imitating the vices of others that I have earned my misfortunes.