A sensible woman should be guided by her head when taking a husband, and by her heart when taking a lover.

Never tell a loved one of an infidelity: you would be badly rewarded for your troubles. Although one dislikes being deceived, one likes even less to be undeceived.

That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful.

If a man needs a religion to conduct himself properly in this world, it is a sign that he has either a limited mind or a corrupt heart.

A woman should not take a lover without the consent of her heart, nor a husband without the consent of her reason.

Novelty is the storehouse of pleasure.

Glances are the first billets-doux of love.

The resistance of a woman is not always a proof of her virtue, but more frequently of her experience.

Love never dies of starvation, but often of indigestion.

Men lose more conquests by their own awkwardness than by any virtue in the woman.

It is not enough to be wise, one must be engaging.

Without climbing the mountain of hardship, one may not know the joy of hope.

Hate people on an individual basis only - you must actually get to know someone at least slightly before you can properly hate him or her.

Yes, there truly is a joy to giving.

Write to one person, not a million.

I honestly thought my marriage would work because me and the wife did share a sense of humour. We had to really, because she didn't have one.

Perhaps women have always been in closer contact with reality than men: it would seem to be the just recompense for being deprived of idealism.

I envy people of faith. I'm incapable of believing in anything supernatural.

The past was still a Golden Age, of ignorance, while the present is an Iron Age of willful bliss.

I like to think I play rugby as it should be played - there are no yellow or red cards in my collection - but I cannot say I'm an angel.

When I was a kid I always wanted to be a mad scientist. I don't know... a regular scientist just was no one.