There will be nothing you may not aspire to; you will go everywhere, and you will find out what the world is — an assemblage of fools and knaves.
Le sentiment que l'homme supporte le plus difficilement est la pitié, surtout quand il la mérite. La haine est un tonique, elle fait vivre, elle inspire la vengeance; mais la pitié tue, elle affaiblit...
If you have any mind to keep my respect, I recommend you not to add imbecility to these qualities by imagining that such a girl as I am will be content with your asthmatic love, and not look for youth...
Eh bien, monsieur de Rastignac, traitez ce monde comme il mérite de l'être. Vous voulez parvenir, je vous aiderai. Vous sonderez combien est profonde la corruption féminine, vous toiserez la largeur d...
Do you know, my dear fellow, Derville went on after a pause, there are in modern society three men who can never think well of the world—the priest, the doctor, and the man of law? And they wear black...
Croyez-le, le véritable amour est éternel, infini, toujours semblable à lui-même ; il est égal et pur, sans démonstrations violentes ; il se voit en cheveux blancs, toujours jeune de cœur.True love is...
And why should I not confess that this friendship, and the testimony here and there of persons unknown to me, have upheld me in my career, both against myself and against unjust attacks; against the c...
It is easier to be a lover than a husband for the simple reason that it is more difficult to be witty every day than to say pretty things from time to time.
For she was invaded by a kind of love which every girl has gone through —the love of the unknown, love in its vaguest form,
Am fully convinced that it is impossible for a woman, even if she were born close to a throne, to acquire before the age of five-and-twenty the encyclopaedic knowledge of trifles, the practice of mano...
Women themselves are so happy, and so beautiful, when they're strong, that they naturally choose powerful men, even if that power's so enermous there's a real risk it could shatter them.
If youth were not ignorant and timid, civilization would be impossible.
A man who prides himself on going in a straight line through life is an idiot who believes in infallibility.
One can no more hinder criticism than the use of eyes, tongues, and judgment.
Durante a rápida estação em que a mulher permanece em flor, os caracteres da sua beleza servem admiravelmente bem à dissimulação à qual a sua fraqueza natural e as leis sociais a condenam. Sob o rico...
Dans la vie morale, aussi bien que dans la vie physique, il existe une aspiration et une respiration; l’âme a besoin d’absorber les sentiments d’une autre âme, de se les assimiler pour les lui restitu...
A valley full of genuine suffering, and of joys that often turn out to be false, and so incredibly tumultuous that it takes something God only knows how outrageous to cause a lasting stir. But here an...