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Quote by Marquis de Sade

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The 120 Days of Sodom

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Author

Marquis de Sade
Marquis de Sade

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. more

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“My dearest, we must stop seeing one another. There they are—cruel words. I put them down without dying. Follow me bravely. My father spoke as the master who demands to be obeyed. A convenient match appears, and that suffices. He didn't ask if I agreed but took into account only his own interests, wholly sacrificing my feelings to his caprices. Don't implicate my mother—she said and did all she could, and imagines doing still more. You know how much she loves me and you must be aware of her tender feelings for you. Our tears flowed together. The barbarian witnessed them but was not moved.”

“This is the key to life: To expect everything to be given to you from above, yet to be genuinely surprised and forever grateful, when they are. Expecting all good things to be yours, while not knowing how to take anything for granted. If there may be a key in life, this is the key.”

“In Russian fairy tales, the narrative flows a little differently. In those stories, you won’t find a tale for Cinderella, one for Snow White, one for Rapunzel. Instead, a peculiar cast of characters recurs over and over, in nearly every story, performing different acts and suffering different sorrows, but remaining the same. Ivan the Fool. Yelena the Bright. Baba Yaga. Vasilisa the Brave. Koschei the Deathless.”

“There is no such thing as magic.” “But you just—” “Things are or they are not, Vasya,” he interrupted. “If you want something, it means you do not have it, it means that you do not believe it is there, which means it will never be there. The fire is or it is not . That which you call magic is simply not allowing the world to be other than as you will it.”