I advise nobody to drown sorrow in cocoa. It is bad for the figure and it does not alleviate the sorrow.

Question everyone in authority, and see that you get sensible answers to your questions ... questioning does not mean the end of loving, and loving does not mean the abnegation of intelligence. Vow as much love to your country as you like ... but, I implore you, do not forget to question.

Life flows on over death as water closes over a stone dropped into a pool. ... Fate is certain; death is certain; but the courage and nobility of men and women matter more than these.

The things that one most wants to do are the things that are probably most worth doing.

it is the brevity of life which makes it tolerable; its experiences have value because they have an end.

The only difficulty is to know what bits to choose and what to leave out. Novel-writing is not creation, it is selection.

The greatest mercy, I have often thought, of the Mediterranean coast lies in its mosquitoes. Did we not suffer from their unwelcome attention, we could not bear our holidays to end.