“Have you ever plunged into the immensity of space and time by reading the geological treatises of Cuvier? Borne away on the… — Honoré de Balzac Copy Share Image
We must certainly acknowledge that solitude is a fine thing; but it is a pleasure to have some one who can answer,… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
In intimate family life, there comes a moment when children, willingly or no, become the judges of their parents. — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
Genius is answerable only to itself; it is the sole judge of the means, since it alone knows the end; thus genius… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
He hesitated till the last moment, but finally dropped them in the box, saying, "I shall win!"--the cry of a gambler, the… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
Among even the happiest married couples there are always moments of regret. — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
Suicide, moreover, was at the time in vogue in Paris: what more suitable key to the mystery of life for a skeptical… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
If the human heart sometimes finds moments of pause as it ascends the slopes of affection, it rarely halts on the way… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
Loyalty in time of need is possibly one of the noblest of victories a courtier can win over himself. — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
Life in clubs is no paltry sign of the times we live in. Here gentlemen gamble with others whom they would not… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
“Yes, it is time I was dead; there is nothing left me to do but to die. I am no good in… — Honoré de Balzac Copy Share Image
The endless legacy of the past to the present is the secret source of human genius. — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
A great love is a credit opened in favor of a power so consuming that the moment of bankruptcy must inevitably occur. — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
A man wastes his time going to hear some of our eloquent modern preachers; they may change his opinions, but never his… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
“The word 'love,' used in connection with the reproduction of our species, is the most odious blasphemy taught in our times.” — Honoré de Balzac Copy Share Image
It is easier to be a lover than a husband for the simple reason that it is more difficult to be witty… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
In the silence of their studios, busied for days at a time with works which leave the mind relatively free, painters become… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
There are moments in life when all we can bear is the sense that our friend is near us; our wounds would… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
A murderer is less loathsome to us than a spy. The murderer may have acted on a sudden mad impulse; he may… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
At thirty years a woman asks her lover to give her back the esteem she has forfeited for his sake; she lives… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
“Oh, my friend, when you love, love a woman whom you are sure that you can love always. Never forsake a woman.” — Honoré de Balzac Copy Share Image
“You have broken the ice, though you have not even scratched its glossy surface: you have placed your hand upon the croup of the… — Honoré de Balzac Copy Share Image
It is quite right what they say: the three most beautiful sights in the world are a ship in full sail, a galloping horse,… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
My writing table has seen all my wretchedness, knows all my plans, has overheard all my thoughts. — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
Foppery, being the chronic condition of women, is not so much noticed as it is when it breaks out on the person of the… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
A married woman is a slave you must know how to seat upon a throne. — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
Rich men are resolved to be astonished at nothing. When they see a masterpiece, they must needs at one glance recognize some flaw to… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
One can imagine the look the two lovers exchanged; it was like a flame, for virtuous lovers have not a shred of hypocrisy. — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
White and shining virgin of all human virtues, ark of the covenant between earth and heaven, tender and strong companion partaking of the lion… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
All men can bear a familiar, definite misfortune better than the cruel alternations of a fate which, from one moment to another, brings excessive… — Honore de Balzac Copy Share Image
