"No man is great enough or wise enough for any of us to surrender our destiny to. The only way in which anyone can lead us is to restore to us the belief in our own guidance."

"Madness is tonic and invigorating. It makes the sane more sane. The only ones who are unable to profit by it are the insane."

"When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat."

"Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring."

"French is the language that turns dirt into romance."

"It is a timeless truth that in the arithmetic of human affection, the more you give, the more you retain — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"People who have expertise just love to share it. That's human nature."

"To give money to a woman - and here I must speak as a man - is to deny her special quality, her irreplaceability, and reduce her unique amiability to a commodity. Money takes away her name, while transforming her lover into a nameless customer of a market of appetites."