Quotes from Henryk Sienkiewicz

Aspasia and Xantippe in one. I

even the meanest person has still at his disposition high-sounding words wherewith to mask his real character.

hatred is degenerated love

Po to i ma szlachta krew, aby j? przelewa?a

There speaks again the sceptic; but I shall never be so intoxicated as to lose my capacity of observation.

Jam nie z soli wyrósÅ' ani z roli, jeno z tego, co mnie boli

DaÅ' ci Bóg nikczemnÄ… posta?, jeÅ›li siÄ™ ludzie nie bÄ™dÄ… ciebie bali, to siÄ™ bÄ™dÄ… z ciebie Å›mieli.

J?dru?! Ran twoich niegodnam ca?owa?.

Niech na twym niebie nie bÄ™dzie chmur, a jeÅ›li bÄ™dÄ… to niech majÄ… kolor i zapach ró?y.

NiechÄ™tni (bo któ? ich nie ma) mówili wprawdzie, ?e ?ony we wszystkim zbytnio sÅ'ucha, ale on siÄ™ tego nie wstydziÅ', owszem, sam przyznawaÅ', ?e w ka?dej wa?niejszej sprawie zawsze rady jej zasiÄ™ga.

As I have said, I am comparatively speaking calm, do not wish for anything, or expect anything, am resigned in fact to that kind of spiritual paralysis until the time comes when bodily paralysis carries me off, as it carried off my father.

Tak to rysowaÅ' siÄ™ od fundamentów i chwiaÅ' siÄ™ gmach zbudowany przez pychÄ™ Janusza RadziwiÅ'Å'a. CaÅ'a Rzeczpospolita miaÅ'a siÄ™ w tym gmachu zmieÅ›ci?, a tymczasem okazaÅ'o siÄ™ wprÄ™dce, ?e jednej Å»mudzi obj?? nie mo?e.

WÅ'aÅ›ciwie, to ja jestem Jerzy MichaÅ', ale ?e Å›wiÄ™ty Jerzy smoka tylko roztratowaÅ', a Å›wiÄ™ty MichaÅ' caÅ'emu komunikowi niebieskiemu przewodzi i tyle ju? nad piekielnymi chorÄ…gwiami odniósÅ' wiktoryj, przeto jego wolÄ™ mie? za patrona.

I have noticed that the stoutest pessimists, when fate or men try to take something out of their lives, fight tooth and nail, and cry out as loud as the greatest optimists.

She prefers simply a life in the shape of an Apollo to that of humpbacked Pulcinello; that is her philosophy. She

A very poor man lives upon crumbs, and smiles gratefully—through tears. 6

Ah me! what torture to have to deal with virtue, cold and merciless as the letter of the law!

Gdybym istotnie przy tej jaÅ'owi?nie, przy tej niemocy czynu, posiadaÅ' nawet genialne zdolnoÅ›ci, to byÅ'bym jakimÅ› szczególnym rodzajem geniusza bez teki.

He who is a sceptic in regard to faith, in regard to science, conservatism, progress, and so on, has indeed difficulty in finding anything to do. In

I renounced complete happiness in order to secure a part of it.

But I think happiness springs from another source, a far deeper one that doesn't depend on will because it comes from love.

Nevertheless, in this sea of human wretchedness and malice there bloomed at times compassion, as a pale flower blooms in a putrid marsh.

he began to fear whether in the presence of far greater events, all his acts would not fade into insignificance, just as a drop of rain disappears into the sea.

He always smiles, even when contemplating nothing good.