“A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.”
“The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”
“Ah! how annoying that the law doesn't allow a woman to change husbands just as one does shirts.”
“There are pretenders to piety as well as to courage.”
“Some of the most famous books are the least worth reading. Their fame was due to their having done something that needed to be doing in their day. The work is done and the virtue of the book has expired.”
“One should eat to live, not live to eat.”
“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”
“All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing.”
“Love is often the fruit of marriage.”
“Books and marriage go ill together.”
“The duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them.”
“Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money.”
“He who follows his lessons tastes a profound peace, and looks upon everybody as a bunch of manure.”
“A lover tries to stand in well with the pet dog of the house.”
“If you suppress grief too much, it can well redouble.”
“We die only once, and for such a long time.”
“I want to be distinguished from the rest to tell the truth, a friend to all mankind is not a friend for me.”