Art begins in imitation and ends in innovation.

Innocence is thought charming because it offers delightful possibilities for exploitation.

Fantasy mirrors desire. Imagination reshapes it.

'Be faithful to your roots' is the liberal version of 'Stay in your ghetto.'

Documents create a paper reality we call proof.

The lonely become either thoughtful or empty.

Romance is tempestuous. Love is calm.

Flattery and insults raise the same question: What do you want?

A sense of blessedness comes from a change of heart, not from more blessings.

Psychology keeps trying to vindicate human nature. History keeps undermining the effort.

The wisdom of age: don't stop walking.

Melancholy is as seductive as Ecstasy.

Irony regards every simple truth as a challenge.

Three meals plus bedtime make four sure blessings a day.

I see what you mean, but I do not think what you think.

What lies behind appearance is usually another appearance.

Affection reproaches, but does not denounce.

Observe decorum, and it will open a path to morality.

The beloved is the ultimate fetish.

To understand someone, find out how he spends his money.

Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.

Self-hatred and self-love are equally self-centered.

Women encourage men to be childish, then scold them.

Consciousness is our only reprieve from Time.

We are more tied to our faults than to our virtues.

The laughter of the aphorism is sometimes triumphant, but seldom carefree.

Money is to my social existence what health is to my body.

Office politics are bloody-minded, but weak on content.

No chaos, no creation. Evidence: the kitchen at mealtime.

The shades of respectability begin to close about the greying head.

Forgiveness is like faith. You have to keep reviving it.

A blocked path also offers guidance.

Cats are inquisitive, but hate to admit it.

Complainers change their complaints, but they never reduce the amount of time spent in complaining.

Ultimately, blind faith is the only kind.

City people make most of the fuss about the charms of country life.

Preserving tradition has become a nice hobby, like stamp collecting.

Outside books, we avoid colorful characters.

Children now expect their parents to audition for approval.

Middle age went by while I was mourning for my lost youth.

Money: power at its most liquid.

My passions have never jumped out of the fireplace and set fire to the carpet.

My mind is led astray by every faint rustle.

The man of sensibility is too busy talking about his feelings to have time for good deeds.

Bad faith likes discourse on friendship and loyalty.

Magic trick: to make people disappear, ask them to fulfill their promises.

Critic's delight: scolding the Mighty Dead.

Seeing my malevolent face in the mirror, my benevolent soul shrinks back.

Innocence: I am only stepping on your face because it lies in my path.

Journalism never admits that nothing much is happening.