James Wood, comp. Dictionary of Quotations. 1899. Racine
Crime, like virtue, has its degrees. 1 Et l’avare Achéron ne lâche pas sa proie—And greedy Acheron lets not go his prey. 2 J’ai voulu voir, j’ai vu—I wish to see, and have seen. 3 Je crains Dieu, cher Abner, et n’ai pas d’autre crainte—I fear God, Abner, and have no other fear. 4 Le bonheur des méchants comme un torrent s’écoule—The happiness of the wicked passes away like a brook. 5 Le bonheur semble fait pour être partagé—Happiness seems appointed to be shared. 6 Love is not a fire which can be confined within the breast; everything betrays it; and its fires imperfectly covered, only burst out the more. 7 Nourri dans le sérall j’en connais les détours—Brought up in the seraglio, I know all its sinuosities. 8 On dit, et sans horreur je ne puis le redire—It has been said, and I cannot without horror repeat it. 9 Quelques crimes toujours précèdent les grands crimes—Small crimes always precede great ones. 10 Qui veut voyager loin ménage sa monture—He who has far to ride spares his horse. 11 Un bienfait reproché tint toujours lieu d’offense—To reproach a man with your kindness to him is tantamount to an affront. 12 Un soupir, un regard, un mot de votre bouche, / Voilà l’ambition d’un cœur comme le mien—A sigh, a look, a word from your lips, that is the ambition of a heart like mine. 13
