I think being condemned to death is the only real distinction," said Mathilde. "It is the only thing which cannot be bought.

A novel is a mirror carried along a main road.

A woman of generous character will sacrifice her life a thousand times over for her lover, but will break with him for ever over a question of pride.

There is no such thing as "natural law": this expression is nothing but old nonsense... Prior to laws, what is natural is only the strength of the lion, or the need of the creature suffering from hunger or cold, in short, need.

Politics in the middle of things of the imagination is like a pistol shot in the middle of a concert.

A man who is half an idiot, but who keeps a sharp lookout and acts prudently all his life, often enjoys the pleasure of triumphing over men of more imagination than he

The pleasures and the cares of the luckiest ambition, even of limitless power, are nothing next to the intimate happiness that tenderness and love give. I am man before being a prince, and when I have the good fortune to be in love, my mistress addresses a man and not a prince.