“...an elegant woman, with a refinement that makes mere prettiness seem redundant.”

“A generation back, his family were called Writh, but they thought an elegant extension would give them consequence;"Cromwell of Wriothesley”

“DANTON: Could you indeed? It's you idealists who make the best tyrants.ROBESPIERRE: It seems a bit late to be having this conversation. I've had to take up violence now, and so much else. We should have discussed it last year.”

“This was an idea peculiar to Camille, Maximilien thought, that the worse things get, the better they get. No one else seems to think this way.”

“The reader may ask how to tell fact from fiction. A rough guide: anything that seems particularly unlikely is probably true.”

“It is better not to try people, not to force them to desperation. Make them prosper; out of superfluidity, they will be generous. Full bellies breed gentle manners. The pinch of famine makes monsters.”

“Tell me, why do you think I do this?" The king sounds curious. "Out of lust? Is that what you think?"Kill a cardinal? Divide your country? Split the church? 'Seems extravagant,' Chapuys murmurs.”