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I think being condemned to death is the only real distinction,” said Mathilde. “It is the only thing which cannot be bought.

Stendhal

It is the nobility of their style which will make our writers of 1840 unreadable forty years from now.
STENDHAL

Noble Past Reading Style Time Writing
Never had he found himself so close to those terrible weapons of feminine artillery.
STENDHAL

Feminine Himself Terrible Weapon
Only great minds can afford a simple style.
STENDHAL

Afford Greatness Lifestyle Mindset Simplicity
There is no such thing as “natural law”: this expression is nothing but old nonsense… Prior to laws, what is natural is only the strength of the lion, or the need of the creature suffering from hunger or cold, in short, need.
STENDHAL

Cold Hungry Law Natural Need Strength Suffering
In love, unlike most other passions, the recollection of what you have had and lost is always better than what you can hope for in the future.
STENDHAL

Better Collection Future Hope Lost Love Passion Yourself
The English are, I think the most obtuse and barbarous people in the world
STENDHAL

Myself Nature People Thinking World
In matters of sentiment, the public has very crude ideas; and the most shocking fault of women is that they make the public the supreme judge of their lives.
STENDHAL

Emotion Ideas Judgement Life Mistake Public Shock
Every true passion thinks only of itself.
STENDHAL

Passion Thinking True
The tyranny of public opinion (and what an opinion!) is as fatuous in the small towns of France as it is in the United States of America.
STENDHAL

Opinion Public Small Unity
A novel is a mirror which passes over a highway. Sometimes it reflects to your eyes the blue of the skies, at others the churned-up mud of the road.
STENDHAL

Eyes Highway Mirror Novel Reflection Road
It is not enough for a landscape to be interesting in itself. Eventually there must be a moral and historic interest.
STENDHAL

Enough History Interest Moral
Politics in a literary work, is like a gun shot in the middle of a concert, something vulgar, and however, something which is impossible to ignore.
STENDHAL

Ignorance Impossible Literature Politics Vulgar Work
Why not make an end of it all? My life is a succession of griefs and bitter feelings. What is death? A very small matter, when all is said; only a fool would be concerned about it.
STENDHAL

End Feeling Fools Grief Life Myself Success
I have a bad memory for facts.
STENDHAL

Bad Fact Memories Myself
Signs cannot be represented, in a spy’s report, so damningly as words.
STENDHAL

Report Representation Word
Politics in the middle of things of the imagination is like a pistol shot in the middle of a concert.
STENDHAL

Concert Imagination Politics
If you want to be witty, work on your character and say what you think on every occasion.
STENDHAL

Character Occasion Thinking Work Yourself
Life is too short, and the time we waste in yawning never can be regained.
STENDHAL

Life Regain Short Wasted Time
Napoleon was indeed the man sent by God to help the youth of France! Who is to take his place?
STENDHAL

God Help Man Place Youth
When a man leaves his mistress, he runs the risk of being betrayed two or three times daily.
STENDHAL

Betrayal Leaving Man Risk Time
To be loved at first sight, a man should have at the same time something to respect and something to pity in his face.
STENDHAL

Face Himself Love Pity Respect Sight
Logic is neither an art nor a science but a dodge.
STENDHAL

Art Escape Logic Science
A woman of generous character will sacrifice her life a thousand times over for her lover, but will break with him for ever over a question of pride.
STENDHAL

Break Character Generosity Life Pride Question Sacrifice Woman
I love her beauty, but I fear her mind.
STENDHAL

Beautiful Fear Herself Love Mindset
A novel is like a bow, and the violin that produces the sound is the reader’s soul.
STENDHAL

Novel Production Reading Soul Sound Violin
Now that the steam engine rules the world, a title is an absurdity, still I am all dressed up in this title. It will crush me if Ido not support it. The title attracts attention to myself.
STENDHAL

Attention Attraction Engine Myself Rule Steam Support Weird World
The sight of anything extremely beautiful, in nature or in art, brings back the memory of what one loves, with the speed of lightning.
STENDHAL

Beautiful Light Love Sight Speed

I think being condemned to death is the only real distinction,” said Mathilde. “It is the only thing which cannot be bought.

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I think being condemned to death is the only real distinction,” said Mathilde. “It is the only thing which cannot be bought.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Stendhal Quotes