black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Now I beg of you to tell me whether I must love a human being simply because he exists or resembles me and whether for those reasons alone I must suddenly prefer him to myself?

Marquis de Sade

Virtue can procure only an imaginary happiness; true felicity lies only in the senses, and virtue gratifies none of them.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Gratify Happiness Imaginary None Procedure Sense Virtue
The mirror sees the man as beautiful, the mirror loves the man; another mirror sees the man as frightful and hates him; and it is always the same being who produces the impressions.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Always Another Beautiful Frightful Hate Man Mirror Same See
If God permits virtue to be persecuted on earth, it is not for us to question his intentions. It may be that his rewards are held over for another life, for is it not true as written in Holy Scripture that the Lord chastenenth only the righteous! And after all, is not virtue it’s own reward?
MARQUIS DE SADE

Another Chastenenth Earth God Helf Holy Intention Life Lord May Permit Presecute Question Reward Righteous Scripture
Are not laws dangerous which inhibit the passions? Compare the centuries of anarchy with those of the strongest legalism in any country you like and you will see that it is only when the laws are silent that the greatest actions appear.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Anarchy Century Compare Country Dangerous Inhabit Legalism Like Love Passion Strongest
Happiness is ideal, it is the work of the imagination.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Happiness Ideal Imagination Work
Sex is as important as eating or drinking and we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint or false modesty as the other.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Allow Appetite Drink Eat False Important Modesty Ought Restrain Satisfy Sex
I have supported my deviations with reasons; I did not stop at mere doubt; I have vanquished, I have uprooted,
MARQUIS DE SADE

Deviation Doubt Mere Reason Stop Support Uproot Vanquish
Your body is the church where Nature asks to be reverenced.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Ask Body Church Nature Reverence
It is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Always Arrive Pain Pleasure Way
Prejudice is the sole author of infamies: how many acts are so qualified by an opinion forged out of naught but prejudice!
MARQUIS DE SADE

Act Author Forget Inframie Naught Opinion Prejudice Qualified Sole
Anything beyond the limits and grasp of the human mind is either illusion or futility; and because your god having to be one or the other of the two, in the first instance I should be mad to believe in him, and in the second a fool.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Anything Beyond Either God Grasp Human Illusion Instance Believe Limit Mind Other Two
The more defects a man may have, the older he is, the less lovable, the more resounding his success.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Defect Less Lovable May More Older Resound Success
The infant breaks his toy, bites his nurse’s breast, strangles his canary long before he is able to reason; cruelty is stamped in animals, in whom, as I think I have said, Nature’s laws are more emphatically to be read than in ourselves; cruelty exists amongst savages.
MARQUIS DE SADE

Animal Before Bite Break Canary Emphatically Exist Infant Long Nature Ourselves Reason Savage Stamp
The imagination is the spur of delights… all depends upon it, it is the mainspring of everything; now, is it not by means of the imagination one knows joy? Is it not of the imagination that the sharpest pleasures arise?
MARQUIS DE SADE

Delight Depend Everything Imagination Mainspring Mean Now Sharp Supr
All men are born free, all have equal rights: never should we lose sight of those principles; according to which never may there be granted to one sex the legitimate right to lay monopolizing hands upon the other, and never may one of the sexes, or classes, arbitrarily possess the other.
MARQUIS DE SADE

According Arbitrarily Born Class Free Grant Hand Legitimate Lose Men Posses Principle Sex Sight
What do I see there but a frail being forever unable to bring man to heel and force him to bend a knee. This creature, although emanated from him, dominates him, knows how to offend him and thereby merit torments eternally! What a weak fellow, this God!
MARQUIS DE SADE

Bend Creature Dominate Eternity Fellow Hel Man See Torment Unable Weak

Now I beg of you to tell me whether I must love a human being simply because he exists or resembles me and whether for those reasons alone I must suddenly prefer him to myself?

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Now I beg of you to tell me whether I must love a human being simply because he exists or resembles me and whether for those reasons alone I must suddenly prefer him to myself?

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Marquis de Sade Quotes