Yes, I can understand that a man might go to gambling table - when he sees that all that lies between himself and death is his last crown - Honoré de Balzac

I do not share the belief in indefinite progress for society as a whole; I believe in man’s improvement in himself.

Affreuse condition de l'homme ! Il n'y a pas un de ses bonheurs qui ne vienne d'une ignorance quelconque.

Love in the abstract is not enough for a great man in poverty; he has need of its utmost devotion... She who is really a wife, one in heart, flesh, and bone, must follow wherever he leads, in whom her life, her strength, her pride, and happiness are centered.