Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

“What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner.”

“You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.”

“Look for a long time at what pleases you, and longer still at what pains you.”

“Be happy. It's one way of being wise.”

“Total absence of humor renders life impossible.”

“I love my past. I love my present. I'm not ashamed of what I've had, and I'm not sad because I have it no longer.”

“There are no ordinary cats.”

“Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.”

“It is not a bad thing that children should occasionally, and politely, put their parents in their place.”

“The woman who thinks she is intelligent demands equal rights with men. A woman who is intelligent does not.”

“Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it.”

“A happy childhood is a poor preparation for human contacts.”

“Writing only leads to more writing.”

“For a woman, the first kiss is the end of the beginning; for a man, it is the beginning of the end.”

“If I can't have too many truffles, I'll do without truffles.”

“The lovesick, the betrayed, and the jealous all smell alike.”