Émile Zola Quotes

In reality, one single thought tormented them: they were irritated at their crime, and in despair at having for ever troubled their lives.

Au fond une pensée unique les rongeait: ils s’irritaient contre leur crime, ils se désespéraient d’avoir à jamais troublé leur vie.

She would have cursed the Almighty had she been able to shout out a blasphemy. Providence had deceived her for over sixty years, by treating her as a gentle, good little girl, by amusing her with lying representations of tranquil joy. And she had remained a child, senselessly believing in a thousand silly things, and unable to see life as it really is, dragging along in the sanguinary filth of passions. Providence was bad; it should have told her the truth before, or have allowed her to continue in her innocence and blindness. Now, it only remained for her to die, denying love, denying friendship, denying devotedness. Nothing existed but murder and lust.

For Madame Raquin, there was such a fathomless depth in this thought, that she could neither reason it out, nor grasp it clearly. She experienced but one sensation, that of a horrible disaster; it seemed to her that she was falling into a dark, cold hole. And she said to herself: "I shall be smashed to pieces at the bottom."

Nothing could be more heartrending than this mute and motionless despair.

In the sudden change that had come over her heart, she no longer recognised herself.

The sort of remorse Laurent experienced was purely physical. His body, his irritated nerves and trembling frame alone were afraid of the drowned man. His conscience was for nothing in his terror. He did not feel the least regret at having killed Camille. When he was calm, when the spectre did not happen to be there, he would have committed the murder over again, had he thought his interests absolutely required it.

When they seated themselves in their carriage, they seemed to be greater strangers than before.

Sometimes, forcing themselves to hope, they sought to resume the burning dreams of other days, and were quite astonished to find they had no imagination.

Parfois, ils se forçaient à l’espérance, ils cherchaient à reprendre les rêves brûlants d’autrefois, et ils demeuraient tout étonnés, en voyant que leur imagination était vide.

The idea of death, blurted out in despair between a couple of kisses, returned implacable and keen.

L'idée de la mort, jetée avec désespoir entre deux baisers, revenait implacable et aiguë.

This woman was as necessary to his life as eating and drinking.

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

It was like a lightning flash of passion, swift and blinding in a leaden sky.