Stendhal Quotes

Jamais il ne s'était trouvé aussi près de ces terribles instruments de l'artillerie féminine.

Eh monsieur, un roman est un miroir qui se promène sur une grande route.

These gentlemen, although of the highest nobility,' thought Julien, 'are not in the least boring like the people who come to dine with M. de La Mole; and I can see why,' he added a moment later,'they are not ashamed to be indecent.

He [the young pianist] had learned to admire such piece, the prime quality was always, in a sound, to be in tune, in a phrase, to be flawless. To my eyes, the prime quality, by quite far, is to be expressive.

It seemed to Julian that there was far too much hair in his wig.

Como se ve, aquella cabeza, tan serena y fría hasta entonces, atravesaba un periodo de extravío lamentable, de delirio completo.

Feminine delicacy was carried to excess in Mme de Renal.

...he could no longer give a thought to anything else. His days passed like hours. At all hours of the day, when he sought to occupy his mind with some serious business, his thoughts would abandon everything, and he would come to himself a quarter of an hour later, his heart throbbing, his head confused, and dreaming of this one idea: 'Does she love me?

This man, whom great monarchies would have envied the prince of Parma, was known to have only one passion: of holding intimate conversations with great personages and currying favour by his buffoonery.

One day they asked Mme Montcortin what love is, she answered, "It's a nasty, dirty thing, of which chambermaids are sometimes accused, and, when they're convinced, they are chased."

Le goût de la liberté, la mode et le culte du bonheur du plus grand nombre, dont le XIXe siècle s'est entiché, n'étaient à ses yeux qu'une hérésie qui passera comme les autres.

La politique au milieu des intérêts d'imagination, c'est un coup de pistolet au milieu d'un concert.

(Le Centre du Lac) … et le hardi promontoire qui sépare les deux branches du lac, celle de Come, si voluptuense et celle qui court vers Lecco, plein de sévérité; aspect sublime et gracieux, que le site le plus renommé du monde, la baie de Naples, égale, mais ne surpasse point...

Recuerde usted siempre el gran principio de su siglo: «Sé lo contrario de lo que esperan que seas.»

Toute vraie passion ne songe qu'a elle.