Émile Zola

“Antagonism breeds extremism.”

— Émile Zola

Everything is only a dream.

— Emile Zola

“large, color-stained fingers (23)”

— Émile Zola

“Was für Schurken, diese ehrbaren Leute!”

— Émile Zola

“spoilt his eye (35)”

— Émile Zola

The vague torment of ... ambition.

— Emile Zola

Respectable people... What bastards!

— Emile Zola

Lovers are made by a kiss.

— Emile Zola

My fiery protest is simply the cry of my very soul.

— Emile Zola

The conclusion does not belong to the artist.

— Emile Zola

The day is not far off when one ordinary carrot may be pregnant with revolution.

— Emile Zola

When people have not the same ideas, it is certainly better not to talk about them.

— Emile Zola

“Il a besoin de cette femme pour vivre comme on a besoin de boire et de manger.”

— Émile Zola

“The obligation of a writer is to live out loud.”

— Émile Zola

“it was in that uncertain state of mind that he began to sketch her face (12)”

— Émile Zola

Keep well; that is the half of wisdom and of happiness.

— Emile Zola

If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud.

— Emile Zola

“Speculation, speculation!' she [Caroline Hamelin] mechanically repeated, struggling with her doubts. 'Ah! the idea of it fills my heart with disturbing anguish.”

— Émile Zola

“Life in the silent, secluded little mansion in Passy was as smooth and regular as the gentle ticking of its antiquated clocks. (89)”

— Émile Zola

Did not one spend the first half of one's days in dreams of happiness and the second half in regrets and terrors?

— Emile Zola

“She wanted to live, and live fully, and to give life, she who loved life! What was the good of existing, if…

— Émile Zola

Classical education has deformed everything, and has imposed upon us as geniuses men of correct, facile talent, who follow the beaten track.

— Emile Zola

A god of kindness would be charitable to all. Your god of wrath and punishment is but a monstrous phantasy.

— Emile Zola

She was cold by nature, self-love predominating over passion; rather than being virtuous, she preferred to have her pleasures all to herself.

— Emile Zola

When sometimes, behind his back, they called him a tyrant, he merely smiled and uttered this profound observation: If some day I…

— Emile Zola

“I have but one passion—that of light. This I ask for in the name of humanity, which has suffered so much, and…

— Émile Zola

And that wreched creature without hands or feet, who had to be put to bed and fed like a child, that pitiable…

— Emile Zola

“for all around on the bridges and embankment Paris roared while they, on the water's edge, tasted all the joy of being…

— Émile Zola

“Hortense and Berthe nodded, as though profoundly impressed by the wisdom of their mother's pronouncements. She had long since convinced them of…

— Émile Zola

Every wave is a water sprite who swims in the current, each current is a path which snakes towards my palace, and…

— Emile Zola

“As if one killed by calculation! A person kills only from an impulse that springs from his blood and sinews, from the…

— Émile Zola

I have but one passion: to enlighten those who have been kept in the dark, in the name of humanity which has…

— Emile Zola

“Satin occupied a couple of rooms which a chemist had furnished for her in order to rescue her from the clutches of…

— Émile Zola

“From the moment I start a new novel, life’s just one endless torture. The first few chapters may go fairly well and…

— Émile Zola

“They again kissed each other and fell asleep. The patch of light on the ceiling now seemed to be assuming the shape…

— Émile Zola

“The thing is, work has simply swamped my whole existence. Slowly but surely it's robbed me of my mother, my wife, and…

— Émile Zola

“A silence fell at the mention of Gavard. They all looked at each other cautiously. As they were all rather short of…

— Émile Zola

“She alone was left standing, amid the accumulated riches of her mansion, while a host of men lay stricken at her feet.…

— Emile Zola

“Raising her arms, she defied Heaven. 'So,' she cried, 'you prefer your God to me? You think he is stronger than I…

— Émile Zola

“You'd never get Burle to behave decently. When a man sank as low as that, the only thing to do was to…

— Émile Zola