Home / Authors / Marquis de Sade

Marquis de Sade Quotes

Philosopher

Marquis de Sade, born on June 2, 1740, and died on December 2, 1814, was a prominent French philosopher and writer of the 18th century. He is known for his profound reflections on freedom, morality, and human behavior.

Filter quotes by topic

All Pleasure Men Virtue Literature Crime Ifs Imagination Law Passion Vices Way Sex Thinking Kinky Mean Evil Happiness Knows Love Reason

Famous Marquis de Sade Quotes

“I've already told you: the only way to a woman's heart is along the path of torment. I know none other as sure.”

Knows Way Heart Literature Path Torture Torment Kinky

Book:The 120 days of Sodom and other writings

Source: The 120 days of Sodom and other writings

“No lover, if he be of good faith, and sincere, will deny he would prefer to see his mistress dead than unfaithful.”

Ifs Love Faith Literature Lovers Deny Sincere Infidelity Mistress Recycling Unfaithful Good Faith

Book:Juliette

Source: Juliette

“Are not laws dangerous which inhibit the passions? Compare the centuries of anarchy with those of the strongest legalism in any country you like and you will see that it is only when the laws are silent that the greatest actions appear.”

Country Action Law Passion Literature Century Dangerous Silent Lawyer Compare Strongest Anarchy Legalism

Author:Marquis de Sade

“The imagination is the spur of delights... all depends upon it, it is the mainspring of everything; now, is it not by means of the imagination one knows joy? Is it not of the imagination that the sharpest pleasures arise?”

Knows Mean Joy Literature Imagination Pleasure Depends Delight Arise My Imagination Spurs Kinky

Author:Marquis de Sade

“In order to know virtue, we must first acquaint ourselves with vice.”

Knows Firsts Order Literature Virtue Vices Acquaintance Kinky

Author:Marquis de Sade

“It is not my mode of thought that has caused my misfortunes, but the mode of thought of others.”

Literature Misfortunes Kinky Misfortunes Of Others

Author:Marquis de Sade

“The idea of God is the sole wrong for which I cannot forgive mankind.”

Ideas Religion Literature Atheism Mankind Forgiving Sole

Book:The 120 days of Sodom and other writings

Source: The 120 days of Sodom and other writings

“There is no more lively sensation than that of pain; its impressions are certain and dependable, they never deceive as may those of the pleasure women perpetually feign and almost never experience.”

May Pain Certain Literature Pleasure Impression Sensations Deceiving Hype Lively Kinky Dependable No More Pain

Author:Marquis de Sade

“Are wars anything but the means whereby a nation is nourished, whereby it is strengthened, whereby it is buttressed?”

Mean War Literature Nations

Author:Marquis de Sade

“Lust is to the other passions what the nervous fluid is to life; it supports them all, lends strength to them all ambition, cruelty, avarice, revenge, are all founded on lust.”

Passion Literature Support Ambition Revenge Lust Cruelty Nervous Fluid Avarice Kinky It Support Justine Lust For Life

Author:Marquis de Sade

“They declaim against the passions without bothering to think that it is from their flame philosophy lights its torch.”

Thinking Philosophy Light Passion Literature Bother Flames Torches

Author:Marquis de Sade

“Man's natural character is to imitate; that of the sensitive man is to resemble as closely as possible the person whom he loves. It is only by imitating the vices of others that I have earned my misfortunes.”

Men Persons Character Literature Natural Vices Alcohol Sensitive Misfortunes Imitation Imitating Imitating Others Sensitive Man

Book:Selected Letters

Source: Selected Letters

“Religions are the cradles of despotism.”

Religion Literature Tyrants Cradle Despotism

Book:Philosophy in the Bedroom: An Erotic Novel

Source: Philosophy in the Bedroom: An Erotic Novel

“The ultimate triumph of philosophy would be to cast light upon the mysterious ways in which Providence moves to achieve the designs it has for man.”

Men Way Philosophy Light Would Be Moving Literature Achieve Design Ultimate Casts Philosopher Mysterious Triumph Providence Mysterious Ways

Book:The Misfortunes of Virtue and Other Early Tales

Source: The Misfortunes of Virtue and Other Early Tales

“Truth titillates the imagination far less than fiction.”

Literature Imagination Fiction

Book:Juliette

Source: Juliette

“She had already allowed her delectable lover to pluck that flower which, so different from the rose to which it is nevertheless sometimes compared, has not the same faculty of being reborn each spring.”

Different Sometimes Literature Flower Lovers Spring Rose Faculty Nevertheless Virginity Reborn Pluck Delectable Lover Reborn

Book:De Sade Quartet [four Stories from Cortes Et Fabliaux

Source: De Sade Quartet [four Stories from Cortes Et Fabliaux

“All, all is theft, all is unceasing and rigorous competition in nature; the desire to make off with the substance of others is the foremost - the most legitimate - passion nature has bred into us and, without doubt, the most agreeable one.”

Desire Passion Literature Doubt Crime Competition Criminals Substance Theft Crime And Criminals Criminals Crime Crimes Of Passion

Author:Marquis de Sade

“The primary and most beautiful of Nature's qualities is motion, which agitates her at all times, but this motion is simply a perpetual consequence of crimes, she conserves it by means of crimes only.”

Mean Beautiful Literature Nature Change Quality Crime Consequence All Time Primaries Perpetual Agitate

Author:Marquis de Sade

“Nature, who for the perfect maintenance of the laws of her general equilibrium, has sometimes need of vices and sometimes of virtues, inspires now this impulse, now that one, in accordance with what she requires.”

Needs Sometimes Law Literature Nature Perfect Virtue Inspire Vices Impulse Equilibrium Maintenance

Author:Marquis de Sade

“One weeps not save when one is afraid, and that is why kings are tyrants.”

People Literature Kings Fake Tyrants Weeping Fake People

Book:Philosophy in the Bedroom: An Erotic Novel

Source: Philosophy in the Bedroom: An Erotic Novel

About the Author

Born: June 2, 1740
Died: December 2, 1814
Known for: Philosopher
Quotes: 233

Books & Sources

The 120 days of Sodom and other writingsRelated source material

Philosophy in the BoudoirRelated source material

The 120 Days of SodomRelated source material

JulietteRelated source material

Philosophy in the Bedroom: An Erotic NovelRelated source material

The Crimes of LoveRelated source material

The Misfortunes of Virtue and Other Early TalesRelated source material

BetrayalRelated source material

Gothic Tales of the Marquis de SadeRelated source material

VirtueRelated source material

Similar Authors

Honore de BalzacBrowse related quotes
Mason CooleyBrowse related quotes
Edwin Louis ColeBrowse related quotes
MoliereBrowse related quotes
Manuel PuigBrowse related quotes
Irwin ShawBrowse related quotes
Joseph AddisonBrowse related quotes
Charles Caleb ColtonBrowse related quotes
Norman MacCaigBrowse related quotes
HesiodBrowse related quotes