I am astonished at the pleasure one experiences in doing good; and I should be tempted to believe that what we call virtuous people have not so much merit as they lead us to suppose.

I assure you that the world is not so amusing as we imagined.

It has become necessary for me to have this woman, so as to save myself from the ridicule of being in love with her: for to what lengths will a man not be driven by thwarted desire?

La vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid

It was there, in particular, that I confirmed the truth that love, which we cry up as the source of our pleasures, is nothing more than an excuse for them.

How characteristic of your perverse heart that longs only for what happens to be out of reach.

...it is not for the illusion of a moment to govern the choice of a lifetime.