When the gods wish to punish us they answer our prayers.

Behind Joy and Laughter there may be a temperament, coarse, hard and callous. But behind Sorrow there is always Sorrow. Pain, unlike Pleasure, wears no mask.

Taking sides is the beginning of sincerity, and earnestness follows shortly afterwards, and the human being becomes a bore.

The intellect is not a serious thing, and never has been. It is an instrument on which one plays, that is all.

Dear little Swallow,’ said the Prince, ‘you tell me of marvelous things, but more marvelous than anything is the suffering of men and of women. There is no Mystery so great as Misery.

If you want to be witty, say what you think at all times

Reforms in Russia are very tragic, but they always end in a farce.