“By the duty to be happy, I thus refer to the ideology... that urges us to evaluate everything in terms of pleasure and displeasure...on the one hand, we have to make the most of our lives; on the other, we have to be sorry and punish ourselves if we don't succeed in doing so. This is a perversion of a very beautiful idea: that everyone has a right to control his own destiny and to improve his life.”

“Ultimately, 'how's it going?' is the most futile and the most profound of questions. To answer it precisely, one would have to make a scrupulous inventory of one's psyche, considering each aspect in detail. No matter: we have to say 'fine' out of politeness and civility and change the subject, or else ruminate the question during our whole lives and reserve our reply for afterward.”

“We are full of things which take us out of ourselves. Our instinct makes us feel that we must seek our happiness outside ourselves. Our passions impel us outside, even when no objects present themselves to excite them. External objects tempt us of themselves, and call to us, even when we are not thinking of them. And thus philosophers have said in vain, " Retire within yourselves, you will find your good there." We do not believe them, and those who believe them are the most empty and the most foolish.”

“Each man is everything to himself, for with his death everything is dead for him. That is why each of us thinks he is everything to everyone. We must not judge nature by ourselves, but by its own standards.”

“‎"Imperfecţiunea este mult mai seducătoare decât plicticoasa regulariate. O figură emoţionantă este o asamblare de defecte armonios repartizate.”

“Ma leg mai ales de fiintele care n-au nevoie de mine si pe care deodata le inlantui prin cea mai puternica legatura. Sunt gata sa dau totul cui nu cere nimic, dar nu vreau sa cedez nimic cui asteapta totul de la celalalt.”

“حين تفشل الرأسمالية ، تثير نقمتنا بما تخلق من شدائد وحين تنجح تغيظنا بما تبثه من بشاعة وما تروجه من بضائع رديئة ، بضائع متراكمة لا حاجة إليها ، وكأن الاستهلاك المحموم أصبح الهدف الأقصى للحضارة الغربية ، ويترتب عن ذلك انكفاء الأفراد على أنفسهم ، وضعف اهتمامهم بالعالم ، فلا يرون في السياسة سوى امتداد لإدارة شركات تسمى فرنسا وألمانيا وإيطاليا وإسبانيا .”