Riches and power are but gifts of blind fate, whereas goodness is the result of one's own merits.

The name of mistress instead of wife would be dearer and more honourable for me, only love given freely, rather than the constriction of the marriage tie, is of significance to an ideal relationship.

When my self is not with you, it is nowhere.

We fluctuate long between love and hatred before we can arrive at tranquillity.

What cannot letters inspire? They have souls; they can speak; they have in them all that force which expresses the transports of the heart.

it is not the deed but the intention that makes the crime.

I am convinced by a sad experience that it is natural to avoid those to whom we have been too much obliged, and that uncommon generosity causes neglect rather than gratitude.

The heart overwhelmed by grief knows no rest.

Prosperity seldom chooses the side of the virtuous.

the higher the step of advancement, the heavier is the fall.

It is always some consolation in sorrow to feel that it is shared, and any burden laid on several is carried more lightly or removed.

Things never come when they are expected.

Inspiration is solitary, never consecutive.

I was street smart, but unfortunately the street was Rodeo Drive.

Changeable women are more endurable that monotonous ones; they are sometimes murdered but never deserted.

How am I influencing so many people on this stage rather than influencing the ones that I have back home?

A committee of three can accomplish much if two don't show up.

Wilderness, like the national park system, was an American idea.

Don't look back unless it's a good view.

I do not believe in the Cinema verite. Sometimes a really good lie is better than any truth.