The Count of Monte Cristo

by Alexandre Dumas

For all evils there are two remedies—time and silence.

woman will often, from mere wilfulness, prefer that which is dangerous to that which is safe.

In great dangers the devoted ones cling to each other;

it is always with friends that one fights."

you are only one and twenty, and can forget the past; I am fifty, and am obliged to recollect it.

he is admirably adapted to revive one's spirits, because he never interrogates, and in my opinion those who ask no questions are the best comforters."

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.

men who are truly generous are always ready to compassionate when the misfortune of their enemy surpasses the limits of their hatred.

There are virtues which become crimes by exaggeration.

Hasty actions are generally bad ones.

like every man burdened with thoughts of the past, he was occupied with seeking the thread of his own ideas

advice is worse than a service."

the entertainments of the fashionable world are collections of flowers which attract inconstant butterflies, famished bees, and buzzing drones.

all were eager to speak to him, as is always the case with those whose words are few and weighty.