Quotes from Jules Renard

I don't know if God exists, but it would certainly be better for his reputation if he didn't

Dès qu'on nous embrasse, il est bon de prévoir, tout de suite, l'instant où nous serons giflés.

I am not sincere, even when I say I am not.

if I were to begin my life again, I should want it as it was. I would only open my eyes a little more.

I am afraid I shall not find Him, but I shall still look for Him. If He exists, He may be appreciative of my efforts.

A cold in the head causes less suffering than an idea.

I have a remarkable memory; I forget everything. It is wonderfully convenient. It is as though the world were constantly renewing itself for me.

Being bored is an insult to oneself.

When people are bored, it is primarily with their own selves that they are bored.

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.

Words are the small change of thought.

As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to love it more and more.

Life is what our character makes it. We fashion it, as a snail does its shell. A man can say: I never made a fortune because it is not in my character to be rich.

As I grow to understand life less and less I grow to love it more and more.

The reward of great men is that, long after they have died, one is not quite sure that they are dead

The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving an excuse.

It is more difficult to be an honorable man for a week than to be a hero for fifteen minutes.

Somewhere in the shadow cast by every famous man is a feminine victim.

An optimist is a driver who thinks that empty space at the curb won't have a hydrant beside it.

I am never bored anywhere: being bored is an insult to oneself.

We are so happy to advise others that occasionally we even do it in their interest.

It is when we are faced with death that we turn most bookish.

Style is to forget all styles.

If you are afraid of being lonely, don't try to be right.