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France Quotes

“Both died, ignored by most; they neither sought nor found public favour, for high roads never lead there. Laurent and Gerhardt never left such roads, were never tempted to peruse those easy successes which, for strongly marked characters, offer neither allure nor gain. Their passion was for the search for truth; and, preferring their independence to their advancement, their convictions to their interests, they placed their love for science above that of their worldly goods; indeed above that for life itself, for death was the reward for their pains. Rare example of abnegation, sublime poverty that deserves the name nobility, glorious death that France must not forget!”

LoveLifeTruthSciencePovertyFranceGloriousIgnoredSublimeNobilityAdvancementPublicitySearchRewardFavorInterestsLaurentAuguste LaurentCharles Frédéric GerhardtCharles GerhardtGerhardt
Author:Charles Adolphe Wurtz
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“The two main criminals are France and the United States. They owe Haiti enormous reparations because of actions going back hundreds of years. If we could ever get to the stage where somebody could say, 'We're sorry we did it,' that would be nice. But if that just assuages guilt, it's just another crime. To become minimally civilized, we would have to say, 'We carried out and benefited from vicious crimes. A large part of the wealth of France comes from the crimes we committed against Haiti, and the United States gained as well. Therefore we are going to pay reparations to the Haitian people.' Then you will see the beginnings of civilization.”

WealthHistoryUnited StatesCrimeGuiltFranceImperialismCivilisationHaitiReparationsApologiesAmerican ImperialismFrench Imperialism
Book:Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World
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“Toulouse is to lose. Good on us, That one never lied And said it’s still alive. A full life is a series Of incompletions. Whole with holes. Entirely fragmented. Carrying one-days, Sentences, Old lovers, And looks. Absolutes turn men and women Into machines that need Numbers to work. But people were never meant to work Just to live.”

HeartbreakEmotionsNostalgiaFranceMoving OnHeartacheFeelingMissing SomeoneThe Goodbye SongMeeting People
Book:The Goodbye Song
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“When, as happened recently in France, an attempt is made to coerce women out of the burqa rather than creating a situation in which a woman can choose what she wishes to do, it’s not about liberating her, but about unclothing her. It becomes an act of humiliation and cultural imperialism. It’s not about the burqa. It’s about the coercion. Coercing a woman out of a burqa is as bad as coercing her into one. Viewing gender in this way, shorn of social, political and economic context, makes it an issue of identity, a battle of props and costumes. It is what allowed the US government to use western feminist groups as moral cover when it invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Afghan women were (and are) in terrible trouble under the Taliban. But dropping daisy-cutters on them was not going to solve their problems.”

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Author:Arundhati Roy
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“There are matters in that book, said to be done by the express command of God, that are as shocking to humanity, and to every idea we have of moral justice, as any thing done by Robespierre, by Carrier, by Joseph le Bon, in France, by the English government in the East Indies, or by any other assassin in modern times. When we read in the books ascribed to Moses, Joshua, etc., that they (the Israelites) came by stealth upon whole nations of people, who, as the history itself shews, had given them no offence; that they put all those nations to the sword; that they spared neither age nor infancy; that they utterly destroyed men, women and children; that they left not a soul to breathe; expressions that are repeated over and over again in those books, and that too with exulting ferocity; are we sure these things are facts? are we sure that the Creator of man commissioned those things to be done? Are we sure that the books that tell us so were written by his authority? ...The Bible tells us, that those assassinations were done by the express command of God. And to read the Bible without horror, we must undo every thing that is tender, sympathising, and benevolent in the heart of man. Speaking for myself, if I had no other evidence that the Bible is fabulous, than the sacrifice I must make to believe it to be true, that alone would be sufficient to determine my choice.”

SacrificeHorrorBibleEvidenceDestructionCommandFranceOffenseMosesEnglishThe BibleFerocityAssassinJoshuaIsraelitesNo MercyAssassinationsRobespierreEast IndiesJoseph Le Bon
Book:The age of reason
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“There are matters in that book, said to be done by the express command of God, that are as shocking to humanity, and to every idea we have of moral justice, as any thing done by Robespierre, by Carrier, by Joseph le Bon, in France, by the English government in the East Indies, or by any other assassin in modern times. When we read in the books ascribed to Moses, Joshua, etc., that they (the Israelites) came by stealth upon whole nations of people, who, as the history itself shews, had given them no offence; that they put all those nations to the sword; that they spared neither age nor infancy; that they utterly destroyed men, women and children; that they left not a soul to breathe; expressions that are repeated over and over again in those books, and that too with exulting ferocity; are we sure these things are facts? are we sure that the Creator of man commissioned those things to be done? Are we sure that the books that tell us so were written by his authority?”

BibleCommandFranceShockingMosesEnglishThe BibleFerocityAssassinJoshuaNo MercyRobespierreEast IndiesJoseph Le Bon
Book:The age of reason
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“On a trip to Paris one day, little Sophie Met a giant lady lighting up the night sky "What's your name, you magical monster?" "My many visitors call me the Eiffel Tower." "In all your attire, don't your sometimes tire Of being seen only as a humdrum tower? You, a dragon, a fairy watching over Paris, An Olympic torch held aloft in grey skies?" "How you flatter me! So few poets these days Ever sing the praises of my Parisian soul, As did Cocteau, Aragon, Cendrars, Trénet and Apollinaire... Since you're so good At seeing beneath the surface, you could -If you like, when you're back from France- Take up your pen and write down Why you like me -it would be nice and fun!" "You can count on me! There's so much to say! I'll write twenty lines... but who will read them?" "Well, I know a man who'll read your verse." "Really? Who?" "The President of France”

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Author:Emmanuel Macron
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“The city of Paris, France, became a place of refuge for biracial Americans during slavery and at the time of the Harlem Renaissance for black musicians, fine artists, writers and others seeking opportunities to practice their craft free from American racism.”

DiversityRacismSlaveryHumanismFranceParisMulticulturalismRefugeesBiracialMigrantsHuman Rights DayAntiracismHarlem RenaissanceMulticulturalismoParis AttacksDay To End RacismHuman Migrations
Book:Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
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“Andrei sometimes wondered how much a river would change Los Angeles. He pictured a long stream of water that divided the city, much like the River Thames or the Seine. Rivers nourished. The water happily rewrote the aisles of streetlamps and transformed one’s nighttime walk into a feature film. It carried boats filled with a surveying crowd that waved back at any brandishing hand on land that tried. It fostered lunch dates, amusing dares, and a reference for the lost. Andrei had spent one summer abroad and met these rivers. He was astonished at the difference in conversations the Europeans had with him. They were simple and alive. The pubs helped. The accents, too. Was it the rain that reminded? he speculated. The museums? The red buses? The cheap flights to any neighboring country? So—what was it about the geography of LA that made connection impossible? Just then, the sun glared at him. He glared back.”

SocietyLonelinessEuropeRiversLondonFranceCaliforniaLos AngelesRiver ThamesRiver Seine
Book:A Happy Ghost
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“The waiter uncorked the bottle and poured the first taste. Pierre swirled and then lifted the glass to his nose to inhale the bouquet, the aroma of France, his homeland, He savored the taste of familiar tannins and metals, the acidity a bittersweet reminder of the laughter of children in the fields, of adults cheering long summer evenings, of long-buried emotions, Claire alive in his mouth, Pierre swallowed the wine and approved with a nod the waiter´s choice of bottle, the wine, like him, a survivor in a far-flung place.”

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Book:The war
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“Lagi pula tak ada satu pun kota di Eropa yang bisa memberi potret sahih tentang kota Batavia. Penduduk kota Paris, yang terbiasa dengan jalanan berbau dan teramat kotor, juga plaster temboknya yang buruk, tak akan pernah mengerti tentang kemewahan dan keanggunan rumah-rumah di Jawa, demikian pula di kalkuta, yang saban tahun dikuas dengan lumuran baru dari batu gamping. Lapisan ini memberi kesan selaksa perak mewah, dan garis-garis tata bangunan teramat jelas tergambar rapi. Di kota ini, ada banyak rumah yang dengan mudah melampaui kemegahan istana di Eropa.”

CitiesBeautyEuropeFranceParisIndonesiaJavaJakartaBatavia
Book:Voyage de Paris à Java / Un drame au bord de la mer
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“Rousseau said that a woman’s place is the home. Many women are at home…watching their children starve. Some Assembly members voted for schools to teach girls home arts. Did any woman of the Third Estate not learn home arts as soon as she could walk? If women were educated, they’d have other ways to feed their children besides laundering and whoring.”

LoveRomanceEmotionalResearchFranceSurvivorFightCompellingHardshipsWomen S
Book:Her Own Legacy
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“And the One will reveal the Bow of the Southern Star and conquer the enemy with courage and fine judgment. The sight of the One is true and the enemy cannot hide. Griffon will fly”

LoveRomanceRelationshipsFantasyGrowing UpMagicBattleHistoricalFranceFairyComing Of AgeSaviorPrincessGreek MythologyArmorFairiesQuestMermaidRedeemerZeusPortalElvesWeaponryArcheryShieldMinotaurCyclopsPeasantCooperElf1600sReluctant HeroSword FightingDryadSatyrClass DifferenceHalflingBow And ArrowAmorgosChateau De Saint Germain En LayeHesitProphesiesSmithy
Book:Shield of the Palidine
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“And the One will take the Sword of the Western Sun and triumph over the enemy with boldness and insight. The arm of the One is steady and heads will roll. Snow Giants will battle”

LoveRomanceRelationshipsFantasyGrowing UpMagicBattleHistoricalFranceFairyComing Of AgeSaviorPrincessGreek MythologyArmorFairiesQuestMermaidRedeemerZeusPortalElvesWeaponryArcheryShieldMinotaurCyclopsPeasantCooperElf1600sReluctant HeroSword FightingDryadSatyrClass DifferenceHalflingBow And ArrowAmorgosChateau De Saint Germain En LayeHesitProphesiesSmithy
Book:Shield of the Palidine
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“By the second cycle of the solstice of the warm time, the One will face the enemy. And the One will unearth the Shield of the Northern Lights and smote the enemy with daring and intelligence. The heart of the One is pious and evil will cower. Couatl will rise.”

LoveRomanceRelationshipsFantasyGrowing UpMagicBattleHistoricalFranceFairyComing Of AgeSaviorPrincessGreek MythologyArmorFairiesQuestMermaidRedeemerZeusPortalElvesWeaponryArcheryShieldMinotaurCyclopsPeasantCooperElf1600sReluctant HeroSword FightingDryadSatyrClass DifferenceHalflingBow And ArrowAmorgosChateau De Saint Germain En LayeHesitProphesiesSmithy
Book:Shield of the Palidine
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“And the One will win the Armor of the Easter Dawn and defeat the enemy with audacity and wisdom. The body of the One is strong and ready to lead. Lammasu will pounce”

LoveRomanceRelationshipsFantasyGrowing UpMagicBattleHistoricalFranceFairyComing Of AgeSaviorPrincessGreek MythologyArmorFairiesQuestMermaidRedeemerZeusPortalElvesWeaponryArcheryShieldMinotaurCyclopsPeasantCooperElf1600sReluctant HeroSword FightingDryadSatyrClass DifferenceHalflingBow And ArrowAmorgosChateau De Saint Germain En LayeHesitProphesiesSmithy
Book:Shield of the Palidine
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“(We loved Mother too, completely, but we were finding out, as Father was too, that it is good for parents and for children to be alone now and then with one another...the man alone or the woman, to sound new notes in the mysterious music of parenthood and childhood.) That night I not only saw my Father for the first time as a person. I saw the golden hills and the live oaks as clearly as I have ever seen them since; and I saw the dimples in my little sister's fat hands in a way that still moves me because of that first time; and I saw food as something beautiful to be shared with people instead of as a thrice-daily necessity.”

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Book:The Gastronomical Me
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“Now, I was unemployed in Beijing, and my former ambition seemed like the pollution that smudged the sky, a great green cloud composed of a billion different particles of fear and uncertainty. Without a career I hardly knew who I was anymore.”

HistoryFoodTravelEatingCookingFranceBeijingTravelogue
Book:Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris
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“My first encounter with a baguette, torn still warm from its paper sheathing, shattered and sighed on contact. The sound stopped me in my tracks, the way a crackling branch gives deer pause; that’s what good crust does. Once I began to chew, the flavor unfolded, deep with yeast and salt, the warm humidity of the tender crumb almost breathing against my lips.”

FoodCookingBreadFranceBakingBakery
Book:Life from Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness
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“When I ask French parents what they most want for their children, they say things like "to feel comfortable in their own skin" and "to find their path in the world." They want their kids to develop their own tastes and opinions. In fact, French parents worry if their kids are too docile. They want them to have character. But they believe that children can achieve these goals only if they respect boundaries and have self-control. So alongside character, there has to be cadre.”

CharacterParentingBoundariesFrance
Book:Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting
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“When Hitler marched across the Rhine To take the land of France, La dame de fer decided, ‘Let’s make the tyrant dance.’ Let him take the land and city, The hills and every flower, One thing he will never have, The elegant Eiffel Tower. The French cut the cables, The elevators stood still, ‘If he wants to reach the top, Let him walk it, if he will.’ The invaders hung a swastika The largest ever seen. But a fresh breeze blew And away it flew, Never more to be seen. They hung up a second mark, Smaller than the first, But a patriot climbed With a thought in mind: ‘Never your duty shirk.’ Up the iron lady He stealthily made his way, Hanging the bright tricolour, He heroically saved the day. Then, for some strange reason, A mystery to this day, Hitler never climbed the tower, On the ground he had to stay. At last he ordered she be razed Down to a twisted pile. A futile attack, for still she stands Beaming her metallic smile.”

PoetryVictoryPoemResistanceFranceParisPoetry QuotesHeroismTowersWorld War 2FrenchHitlerWorld War TwoEiffel TowerEiffelResistance MovementFrench HistoryEiffel Tower PoemEiffel Tower PoemsI Love FranceI Love ParisLa Dame De Fer
Book:Brushstrokes of a Gadfly
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“Lebedev: France has a clear and defined policy... The French know what they want. They just want to wipe out the Krauts, finish, but Germany, my friend, is playing a very different tune. Germany has many more birds in her sights than just France... Shabelsky: Nonsense! ...In my view the German are cowards and the French are cowards... They're just thumbing their noses at each other. Believe me, things will stop there. They won't fight. Borkin: And as I see it, why fight? What's the point of these armaments, congresses, expenditures? You know what I'd do? I'd gather together dogs from all over the country, give them a good dose of rabies and let them loose in enemy country. In a month all my enemies would be running rabid.”

WarHumourFranceGermanyDogs
Book:Ivanov
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“Long before it was known to me as a place where my ancestry was even remotely involved, the idea of a state for Jews (or a Jewish state; not quite the same thing, as I failed at first to see) had been 'sold' to me as an essentially secular and democratic one. The idea was a haven for the persecuted and the survivors, a democracy in a region where the idea was poorly understood, and a place where—as Philip Roth had put it in a one-handed novel that I read when I was about nineteen—even the traffic cops and soldiers were Jews. This, like the other emphases of that novel, I could grasp. Indeed, my first visit was sponsored by a group in London called the Friends of Israel. They offered to pay my expenses, that is, if on my return I would come and speak to one of their meetings. I still haven't submitted that expenses claim. The misgivings I had were of two types, both of them ineradicable. The first and the simplest was the encounter with everyday injustice: by all means the traffic cops were Jews but so, it turned out, were the colonists and ethnic cleansers and even the torturers. It was Jewish leftist friends who insisted that I go and see towns and villages under occupation, and sit down with Palestinian Arabs who were living under house arrest—if they were lucky—or who were squatting in the ruins of their demolished homes if they were less fortunate. In Ramallah I spent the day with the beguiling Raimonda Tawil, confined to her home for committing no known crime save that of expressing her opinions. (For some reason, what I most remember is a sudden exclamation from her very restrained and respectable husband, a manager of the local bank: 'I would prefer living under a Bedouin muktar to another day of Israeli rule!' He had obviously spent some time thinking about the most revolting possible Arab alternative.) In Jerusalem I visited the Tutungi family, who could produce title deeds going back generations but who were being evicted from their apartment in the old city to make way for an expansion of the Jewish quarter. Jerusalem: that place of blood since remote antiquity. Jerusalem, over which the British and French and Russians had fought a foul war in the Crimea, and in the mid-nineteenth century, on the matter of which Christian Church could command the keys to some 'holy sepulcher.' Jerusalem, where the anti-Semite Balfour had tried to bribe the Jews with the territory of another people in order to seduce them from Bolshevism and continue the diplomacy of the Great War. Jerusalem: that pest-house in whose environs all zealots hope that an even greater and final war can be provoked. It certainly made a warped appeal to my sense of history.”

WarChristianityHistoryDemocracyIsraelLondonRussiaOppressionFranceTortureBritainTerritoryWorld War IFree SpeechColonialismPersecutionPalestineDiplomacySecularismFanaticism19th CenturyAncestryJerusalemReligious ExtremismEthnic CleansingJewsArmageddonLeftismAntisemitismBolshevismCrimeaPalestiniansArabsZealotryHouse ArrestPhilip RothBedouinCrimean WarRamallahArthur BalfourRaimonda Tawil
Book:Hitch 22: A Memoir
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“У Франції нацистам вистачило півтори тисячі своїх людей. Вони були такі впевнені в надійності французької поліції та військових підрозділів, що, окрім адміністративного штату, призначили лишень 6 тисяч осіб німецької цивільної та військової поліції, щоб забезпечувати покору 35-мільйонної країни.”

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Book:Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945
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“Self-preservation and determination meant she could get away with anything. As her law-abiding, conventionally minded daughter, I secretly envied her this. She was not the clinging-vine type, nor one who could coax sugar from a lemon. Hers was the frontal attack with no inhibitions. She told the Nazis you could not trust Hitler, and they let her go. In the days of chaperones, she hitch-hiked a ride on a French destroyer along the coast of Crete; 'All quite proper, I had my cook with me,' she explained.”

FranceSelf DeterminationSelf PreservationNazisVictorian EraWomen S HistoryArchaeologistsCreteHarriet Boyd Hawes
Author:Mary Allsebrook
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“Hah! Avocados,’ he said, brightening. ‘How I love them. Cheer up, my little avocado,’ he said to me pinching my hand. ‘You know, these American girls are just like avocados. What do you think, am I right, Max? Who ever even heard of an avocado sixty years ago? Yes, that’s what we’re growing nowadays’. His avocado arrived and he looked at t lovingly. ‘The typical American girl,’ he said, addressing it. ‘ A hard center with the tender meat all wrapped up in a shiny casting.’ He began to eating it. ‘How I love them’ he murmured greedily. ‘So green - so eternally green.”

NovelNew YorkFranceParisAvocadosAvocadoDud AvocadoElaine DundyThe Dud Avocado
Author:Elaine Dundy
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