Humanity is not perfect in any fashion; no more in the case of evil than in that of good. The criminal has his virtues, just as the honest man has his weaknesses.

Don't you remember that love, like medicine, is only the art of encouraging nature?

A man enjoys the happiness he feels, a woman the happiness she gives.

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.

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.

La vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid

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