André Gide Quotes

Ante ciertos libros, uno se pregunta: ¿quién los leerá? Y ante ciertas personas uno se pregunta: ¿qué leerán? Y al fin, libros y personas se encuentran.

La sagesse n'est pas dans la raison, mais dans l'amour.

Le style des Faux-Monnayeurs ne doit présenter aucun intérêt de surface, aucune saillie. Tout doit être dit de la manière la plus plate, celle qui fera dire à certains jongleurs : que trouvez-vous à admirer là-dedans ?

"One must allow other people to be right," he used to say when he was insulted, "It consoles them for not being anything else."

Tout l'effort de l'esprit ne parvient pas à recréer cette émotion de la surprise qui ajoute au charme de l'objet une étrangeté ravissante. Le beauté du monde extérieur reste la même, mais la virginité du regard s'est perdue.

I am still clumsy; I should aim to be clumsy only when I wish to be. I must learn to keep silent… I must learn to take myself seriously; and not to hold any smug opinion of myself. To have more mobile eyes and a less mobile face. To keep a straight face when I make a joke. Not to applaud every joke made by others. Not to show the same colorless geniality toward everyone. To disconcert at the right moment by keeping a poker face. Especially never to praise two people in the same way, but rather to keep toward each individual a distinct manner from which I would never deviate without intending to.

To tell the truth, my dear count, I must own that of all nauseating human emanations, literature is one of those which disgust me most. I can see nothing in it but compromise and flattery. And I go so far as to doubt whether it can be anything else.

In other people's company I felt I was dull, gloomy, unwelcome, at once bored and boring...

C'est dans l'extraordinaire que je me sens le plus naturel.

Toutes choses sont dites déjà ; mais comme personne n'écoute, il faut toujours recommencer.

Quel che si possiede in se stessi di diverso, è proprio quel che si possiede di rado, quel che attribuisce a ciascuno il suo valore; ed è proprio quello che si cerca di sopprimere. Si imita. E si pretende di amare la vita.

Nos actes s'attachent a nous comme sa lueur au phosphore. Ils nous consument, il est vrai, mais il nous font notre splendeur.

When intelligent people pride themselves on not understanding, it is quite natural they should succeed better than fools.

We call “happiness” a certain set of circumstances that makes joy possible. But we call joy that state of mind and emotions that needs nothing to feel happy.

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