"There are no friends at cards or world affairs."

"Happiness is like one of those palaces on an enchanted island, its gates guarded by dragons. One must fight to gain it."

"As a general rule… people ask for advice only in order not to follow it; or if they do follow it, in order to have someone to blame for giving it."

"It is necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live."

"The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken."