The Old Woman Quotes

“A hundred times I was upon the point of killing myself; but still I loved life. This ridiculous foible is perhaps one of our most fatal characteristics; for is there anything more absurd than to wish to carry continually a burden which one can always throw down? to detest existence and yet to cling to one’s existence? in brief, to caress the serpent which devours us, till he has eaten our very heart?”

What a place for you to come to! This is a murderers’ den. You think yourself a promised bride, and that your marriage will soon take place, but it is with death that you will keep your marriage feast. Look, do you see that large cauldron of water which I am obliged to keep on the fire! As soon as they have you in their power they will kill you without mercy, and cook and eat you, for they are eaters of men. If I did not take pity on you and save you, you would be lost.”

″ ‘But look!’ said the very old man, and he pointed to a bunch of high grass. In it say one little frightened kitten. They went out and picked it up. It was thin and scraggly. ”

“Pretty soon the very old woman saw them coming. ‘My dear!’ she cried, ‘What are you doing? I asked for one little cat, and what do I see? ”

″ ‘It is the most beautiful cat in the whole world,’ said the very old man. ‘I ought to know for I’ve seen hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats but not one was as pretty as this one.’ ”

“They bit and scratched and clawed each other and made such a noise that the very old man and the very old woman ran into the house as fast as they could.”

“Every day they gave it plenty of milk- and soon it grew nice and plump.”

“You do not know my birth; and were I to show you my backside, you would not talk in that manner, but would suspend your judgment.”

My throat was formed, and such a throat! white, firm, and shaped like that of the Venus of Medici; and what eyes! what eyelids! what black eyebrows! such flames darted from my dark pupils that they eclipsed the scintillation of the stars--as I was told by the poets in our part of the world.”

″‘You have seen earthquakes; but pray, miss, have you ever had the plague?’ ‘Never,’ answered Cunegonde. ‘If you had,” said the old woman, ‘you would acknowledge that it is far more terrible than an earthquake. ‘”

In short, Miss Cunegonde, I have had experience, I know the world; therefore I advise you to divert yourself, and prevail upon each passenger to tell his story; and if there be one of them all, that has not cursed his life many a time, that has not frequently looked upon himself as the unhappiest of mortals, I give you leave to throw me headforemost into the sea.”

“The beautiful Cunegonde having heard the old woman’s history, paid her all the civilities due to a person of her rank and merit.”