Unfortunates, who ought to begin with God, do not have any h... - Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo

"I don’t think man was meant to attain happiness so easily. Happiness is like those palaces in fairy tales whose gates are guarded by dragons: we must fight in order to conquer it."

"I have always had more dread of a pen, a bottle of ink, and a sheet of paper than of a sword or pistol."

"Moral wounds have this peculiarity - they may be hidden, but they never close; always painful, always ready to bleed when touched, they remain fresh and open in the heart."

"When you compare the sorrows of real life to the pleasures of the imaginary one, you will never want to live again, only to dream forever."

"Darling, has not the count just told us that all human wisdom is summed up in two words? Wait and hope."