black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Friendship has its illusions no less than love.

Stendhal

I used to think of deathlike I suppose soldiers think of it: it was a possible thing that I could well avoid by my skill.
STENDHAL

Avoid Death Possible Skill Soldier Thinking
In our calling, we have to choose; we must make our fortune either in this world or in the next, there is no middle way.
STENDHAL

Call Choice Fortune Way World
Politics in the middle of things of the imagination is like a pistol shot in the middle of a concert.
STENDHAL

Concert Imagination Politics
I call “crystallization” that action of the mind that discovers fresh perfections in its beloved at every turn of events.
STENDHAL

Action Crystal Discover Event Mindset
A very small matter, when all is said; only a fool would be concerned about it.
STENDHAL

Concern Fools Small Thinking
The man of genius is he and he alone who finds such joy in his art that he will work at it come hell or high water.
STENDHAL

Alone Art Genius Himself Man Water
I am mad, I am going under, I must follow the advice of a friend, and pay no heed to myself.
STENDHAL

Advice Friendship Mad Myself Pay
War was then no longer this noble and unified outburst of souls in love with glory that he had imagined from Napoleon’s proclamations.
STENDHAL

Glory Himself Imagination Noble War
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
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
The great majority of men, especially in France, both desire and possess a fashionable woman, much in the way one might own a fine horse – as a luxury befitting a young man.
STENDHAL

Animal Desire Fashion Greatness Luxury Majority Man Possession Woman Young
At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.
STENDHAL

Authority Distance Sight Subject
Love has always been the most important business in my life; I should say the only one.
STENDHAL

Business Important Life Love Myself Oneself
The first qualification for a historian is to have no ability to invent.
STENDHAL

Ability History Invention Qualification
I see but one rule: to be clear. If I am not clear, all my world crumbles to nothing.
STENDHAL

Crumble Myself Rule See World
A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love.
STENDHAL

Born Degree Hope Love Small

Friendship has its illusions no less than love.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Friendship has its illusions no less than love.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Stendhal Quotes