Honore de Balzac

A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea.

Our worst misfortunes never happen and most miseries lie in anticipation.

Believe everything you hear said of the world nothing is too impossibly bad.

All happiness depends on courage and work. I have had many periods of wretchedness but with energy and above all with illusions I pulled through them all.

True love is eternal infinite and always like itself. It is equal and pure without violent demonstrations: it is seen with white hairs and is always young in the heart.

Nothing is a greater impediment to being on good terms with others than being ill at ease with yourself.

Emulation admires and strives to imitate great actions envy is only moved to malice.

Manners are the hypocrisy of a nation.

Passion is universal humanity. Without it religion history romance and art would be useless.

If we could but paint with the hand as we see with the eye!

A mother who is really a mother is never free.

Envy is the most stupid of vices for there is no single advantage to be gained from it.

Modesty is the conscience of the body.

A woman must be a genius to create a good husband.

The majority of husbands remind me of an orangutan trying to play the violin.

To provoke laughter without joining in it greatly heightens the effect.

A good husband is never the first to go to sleep at night or the last to awake in the morning.

Hope is a light diet but very stimulating.