"Oh, how many discoveries does the spirit of enlightenment prepare for us!"

"I am a barbarian, I know nothing of civilization except its vices."

"Thus people – so it seems to me – Become good friends from sheer ennui."

"I am a great admirer of the past, and I believe it is a great teacher."

"I am fat and lazy, and I love nothing so much as to lie on my sofa, eat gingerbread, and read French novels."