A glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world. What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?

Good taste is the excuse I've always given for leading such a bad life

That is the mission of art - to make us pause and look at a thing a second time.

She has form," he said to himself, as he walked away through the grove - "that cannot be denied to her; but has she got feeling? I am afraid not. In fact, she is like most artists; she is all style, without any sincerity. She would not sacrifice herself for others. She thinks merely of music, and everybody knows that arts are selfish. Still, it must be admitted that she has some beautiful notes in her voice. What a pity it is that they do not mean anything, or do any practical good.

I now see that sorrow, being the supreme emotion of which man is capable, is at once the type and test of all great art.

All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.

The aim of the liar is simply to charm, to delight, to give pleasure. He is the very basis of civilized society.