“I am mad, I am going under, I must follow the advice of a friend, and pay no heed to myself.”

“Am I capable of deceiving my friend?” Julien asked himself peevishly. This being, for whom hypocrisy and an absence of all sympathy were the usual methods of protecting himself, could not bear, this time, the thought of the slightest trickiness in dealing with a man for whom he had friendly feelings.”

“Faith, I am no such fool; everyone for himself in this desert of selfishness which is called life.”

“For the future, I shall rely only upon those elements of my character which I have tested. Who would ever have said that I should find pleasure in shedding tears? That I should love the man who proves to me that I am nothing more than a fool?”

“I will never demean myself to speak about my courage," said Julien, coldly, "it would be mean to do so. Let the world judge by the facts.”

“Dar la ce bun să-i numim duşmanii prieteni? Lucrul acesta e urât, şi cu atât mai urât cu cât e mai adevărat. Şi totuşi, acolo se află singurii profesori de morală pe care îi avem, iar fără ei, ce ne-am face?”

“Am trăit îndeajuns ca să văd că deosebirea dă naştere la ură.”