“She wanted to live, and live fully, and to give life, she who loved life! What was the good of existing, if you couldn't give yourself?” — Émile Zola Copy Share Image
“Boredom was at the root of Lazare's unhappiness, an oppressive, unremitting boredom, exuding from everything like the muddy water of a poisoned spring. He was bored with leisure, with work, with himself even more than with others. Meanwhile he blamed… — Émile Zola Copy Share Image
“Hélène, her eyes once more raised and remote, was deep in a dream. She was Lady Rowena, she was in love, with the deep… — Émile Zola Copy Share Image
How evil life must be if it were indeed necessary that such imploring cries, such cries of physical and moral wretchedness, should ever and… — Emile Zola Copy Share Image
“he was carried aloft, for the moment, on one of those great waves of hope from which he was usually plunged deep into the… — Émile Zola Copy Share Image
“Death had to take her little by little, bit by bit, dragging her along to the bitter end of the miserable existence she'd made… — Émile Zola Copy Share Image
“Lastly, I accuse the first court-martial of having violated the law by condemning an accused person on one document kept secret, and I accuse… — Émile Zola Copy Share Image
“vexation, yet filled with unconscious regret for the terrible unknown things that might have, but had not, happened (23)” — Émile Zola Copy Share Image
“Good gracious!" she exclaimed, "she's been more than an hour in there! When the priests set about cleansing her of her sins, the choir-boys… — Émile Zola Copy Share Image
The only basis for living is believing in life, loving it, and applying the whole force of one's intellect to know it better. — Emile Zola Copy Share Image
“A new dynasty is never founded without a struggle. Blood makes good manure. It will be a good thing for the Rougon family to be founded on a massacre, like many illustrious families." --Monsieur de Carnavant” — Émile Zola Copy Share
I believe that all is illusion and vanity outside the treasure of truths slowly accumulated, and which will never again be lost. I believe… — Emile Zola Copy Share Image
