“At certain moments, words are nothing; it is thetone in which they are uttered.”

“Even after making up one's mind to the sacrifices Ihad decided upon, there is always left a trace of envyfor those who have triumphed in the melancholystruggle for literary supremacy”

“It is vain to try to sacrifice once for all one'syouthful ideals.”

“Flirting is the sin of the virtuous and the virtue of thesinful.”

“Il faut vivre comme on pense, sans quoi l'on finira par penser comme on a vécu.”

“One must live the way one thinks or end up thinking the way one has lived.”

“I felt that the success of the enterprise was in my hands: the moment had an obscure meaning which had to be trimmed and perfected ; certain motions had to be made, certain words spoken : I staggered under the weight of my responsibility. I started and saw nothing, I struggled in the midst of rites which were invented on the spot and tore them to shreds with my strong arms. At those times she hated me.”