A taste for truth at any cost is a passion which spares nothing. truth
Your successes and happiness are forgiven you only if you generously consent to share them. happiness
We always deceive ourselves twice about the people we love - first to their advantage, then to their disadvantage. love
The society based on production is only productive, not creative. society
It's a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money. money
An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself. intelligence
Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear. fear & respect
Retaliation is related to nature and instinct, not to law. Law, by definition, cannot obey the same rules as nature. nature
As a remedy to life in society I would suggest the big city. Nowadays, it is the only desert within our means. life & society
Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better. freedom
He who despairs of the human condition is a coward, but he who has hope for it is a fool. hope
To be famous, in fact, one has only to kill one's landlady. fame
I know of only one duty, and that is to love. love
But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads? happiness & life
We used to wonder where war lived, what it was that made it so vile. And now we realize that we know where it lives... inside ourselves. war
Without work, all life goes rotten. But when work is soulless, life stifles and dies. life & work
Men are never really willing to die except for the sake of freedom: therefore they do not believe in dying completely. freedom & men
A free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad. freedom & being good
Men are convinced of your arguments, your sincerity, and the seriousness of your efforts only by your death. death & men
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. nature
There will be no lasting peace either in the heart of individuals or in social customs until death is outlawed. death & peace
A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession. art & work
All modern revolutions have ended in a reinforcement of the power of the State. power
The myth of unlimited production brings war in its train as inevitably as clouds announce a storm. war
Man wants to live, but it is useless to hope that this desire will dictate all his actions. hope
In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. nature
Blessed are the hearts that can bend they shall never be broken. moving on
We turn toward God only to obtain the impossible. God
Truth, like light, blinds. Falsehood, on the contrary, is a beautiful twilight that enhances every object. truth
Real nobility is based on scorn, courage, and profound indifference. courage
Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present. the future
How can sincerity be a condition of friendship? A taste for truth at any cost is a passion which spares nothing. friendship & truth
Men must live and create. Live to the point of tears. inspirational & men
It is a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money. finance & money
Alas, after a certain age every man is responsible for his face. aging
Culture: the cry of men in face of their destiny. men
To abandon oneself to principles is really to die - and to die for an impossible love which is the contrary of love. love
There is the good and the bad, the great and the low, the just and the unjust. I swear to you that all that will never change. change, being good & greatness
The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth. truth
We continue to shape our personality all our life. If we knew ourselves perfectly, we should die. life
Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it. courage
Don't walk behind me I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. friendship
It is normal to give away a little of one's life in order not to lose it all. life
Without freedom, no art art lives only on the restraints it imposes on itself, and dies of all others. art & freedom
To know oneself, one should assert oneself. motivation
The only real progress lies in learning to be wrong all alone. being alone & learning
To insure the adoration of a theorem for any length of time, faith is not enough, a police force is needed as well. faith & time
By definition, a government has no conscience. Sometimes it has a policy, but nothing more. government
Man is an idea, and a precious small idea once he turns his back on love. love
When you have really exhausted an experience you always reverence and love it. experience & love
Ah, mon cher, for anyone who is alone, without God and without a master, the weight of days is dreadful. being alone & God
You cannot create experience. You must undergo it. experience