The Lemoine Affair Quotes

“When you work to please others you can't succeed, but the things you do to satisfy yourself stand a chance if catching someone's interest.”
― Marcel Proust, Pastiches et mélanges

“One day, a gentleman performed an immense favor for Marcel Proust, who, to thank him, brought him to the country to dine. But while they were chatting, the gentleman, who was none other than Zola, absolutely refused to acknowledge that there had been in France only one single truly great writer to whom only Saint-Simon came close, and that this writer was Léon Daudet. Upon which, my word! Proust, forgetting the gratitude he owed Zola, sent him flying ten steps backwards with a pair of blows, and knocked him flat on his back.”
― Marcel Proust, The Lemoine Affair

“Similarly, a little later on, the author will point out to us, among the crowd he describes, a "reactionary." That is common enough designation today. But here, I ask Mr. Flaubert again: "A reactionary? How can you recognize one at a distance? Who told you? How do you know about it?" The author evidently is amusing himself, and all these characteristics are invented on a whim.”
― Marcel Proust, The Lemoine Affair

“Wenn man etwas tut, um anderen zu gefallen, kann es nicht gelingen, aber bei den Dingen, die man tut, um sich selbst zu zufriedenzustellen, besteht immer die Aussicht, dass sie auch das Interesse von anderen wecken.”
― Marcel Proust, Pastiches et mélanges