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

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

“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.”

“You're much better than fireworks. They're all over in a moment, and you're going to stay for a fortnight. Besides, fireworks are noisy, and they make too much smoke.”

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

“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.”