“Do you deny it?" Grimani persisted.Deny it? Only the greatest self-restraint prevents me from laughing it out of countenance.”

“I don’t mind people going about unobtrusively doing good, but I can’t stomach moral indignation.”

“I think you’re extremely rude! And you’re doing it on purpose!”“Of course. One should never be rude except on purpose.”…”Why?”…”Because one should never appear to anything without intent. It’s the secret of poise.”

“I always think boredom is to some extent the fault of the bored.”

“He was not going to be dragged into other people´s business. He was going to plunge in headfirst.”

“I highly recommend cleanliness. It pleases women and annoys men, which are two excellent ways to get on in society.”

“Modesty alone doesn’t prove a man a hero. But it’s incontrovertible that immodesty makes him a bore.”