223 Quotes by Stendhal

Any man who talks about his love affairs thereby proves he is ignorant of love and is moved only by vanity.

I see but one rule: to be clear.

A man who is half an idiot, but who keeps a sharp lookout and acts prudently all his life, often enjoys the pleasure of triumphing over men of more imagination than he

To find love in Paris you must go down among those classes where the absence of education and of vanity, and the struggle for bare necessities, have allowed more energy to survive.

On a cold winter morning a cigar fortifies the soul.

War was then no longer this noble and unified outburst of souls in love with glory that he had imagined from Napoleon's proclamations.

If I meet the Christian Deity, I am lost: He is a tyrant and as such, is full of ideas of vengeance; His Bible speaks of nothing but fearful punishments. I never loved Him! I could never even believe that anyone did love Him sincerely. He is devoid of pity.... He will punish me in some abominable manner.

Life is very short, and it ought not to be spent crawling at the feet of miserable scoundrels.

Because one has little fear of shocking vanity in Italy, people adopt an intimate tone very quickly and discuss personal things.