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?
Pierre Choderlos de LaclosDon't you remember that love, like medicine, is only the art of encouraging nature?
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos...it is not for the illusion of a moment to govern the choice of a lifetime.
Pierre Choderlos de LaclosI can see that you're in love, but only in a very narrow sense. It's the love of someone that finds charms and qualities in a woman that she doesn't actually have, who puts her in a class apart with every one else in second place, and who stays attached to her even while he's abusing her.
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos