"A people under the menace of war and of invasion is very easy to govern. It does not claim social reforms, it does not cavil over armaments or military equipment. It pays without haggling, it ruins itself at it, and that is excellent for the syndicates, the financiers, and the heads of industry to whom patriotic terrors open an abundant source of gain."

"Si 50 millions de personnes disent une bêtise, c'est quand même une bêtise."

"On devient bon écrivain comme on devient bon menuisier: en rabotant ses phrases."

"Quand une chose a été dite et bien dite, n'ayez aucun scrupule, prenez-la, copiez."

"On croit mourir pour la patrie; on meurt pour les industriels."

"De toutes les définitions de l'homme, la plus mauvaise me paraît celle qui en fait un animal raisonnable."

"Il est à peu près impossible de constituer systématiquement une morale naturelle. La nature n'a pas de principes. Elle ne nous fournit aucune raison de croire que la vie humaine est respectable. La nature, indifférente, ne fait nulle distinction du bien et du mal."

"Un conte sans amour est comme du boudin sans moutarde; c’est chose insipide."

"Il ne savait rien, ne voulait rien savoir, en quoi il se conformait à son génie, dont il ne surchargeait point l’aimable petitesse, et son heureux instinct lui conseillait de comprendre peu plutôt que de comprendre mal."

"Nous avons des remèdes pour faire parler les femmes; nous n'en avons pas pour les faire taire."

"L'innocence, le plus souvent, est un bonheur et non pas une vertu."

"Dans tout État policé, la richesse est chose sacrée; dans les démocraties elle est la seule chose sacrée."

"Ce sont les hommes qui n'aiment pas les femmes qui s'intéressent à la toilette des femmes. Et les hommes qui aiment les femmes ne voient pas seulement comment elles sont habillées."

"L'ignorance et l'erreur sont nécessaires à la vie comme le pain et l'eau."

"II n'y a que les pauvres gens qui payent comptant. Ce n'est pas par vertu; c'est parce qu'on ne leur fait pas crédit."

"Pour accomplir de grandes choses il ne suffit pas d'agir, il faut rêver; il ne suffit pas de calculer, il faut croire."

"Cela consiste pour les pauvres à soutenir et à conserver les riches dans leur puissance et leur oisiveté. Ils y doivent travailler devant la majestueuse égalité des lois, qui interdit au riche comme au pauvre de coucher sous les ponts, de mendier dans les rues et de voler du pain."

"S’il fallait absolument choisir, j’aimerais mieux faire une chose immorale qu’une chose cruelle."

"En art comme en amour, l'instinct suffit."

"La souffrance! quelle divine méconnu! Nous lui devons tout ce qu'il ya de bon en nous, tout ce qui donne du prix à la vie; nous lui devons la pitié, nous lui devons le courage, nous lui devons toutes les vertus."

"Le christianisme a beaucoup fait pour l’amour en en faisant un péché."

"Il est sage de ne mettre ni crainte, ni espérance dans l’avenir incertain."

"Il est dans la nature humaine de penser sagement et d'agir d'une façon absurde."

"Le premier regard de l'homme jeté sur l'univers n'y découvre que variété, diversité, multiplicité des phénomènes. Que ce regard soit illuminé par la science, — par la science qui rapproche l'homme de Dieu, — et la simplicité et l'unité brillent de toutes parts."

"A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world."

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity."

"One does not ask of one who suffers: What is your country and what is your religion? One merely says: You suffer, that is enough for me..."

"Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world. Science is the highest personification of the nation because that nation will remain the first which carries the furthest the works of thought and intelligence."

"Young men, have confidence in those powerful and safe methods, of which we do not yet know all the secrets. And, whatever your career may be, do not let yourselves become tainted by a deprecating and barren scepticism, do not let yourselves be discouraged by the sadness of certain hours which pass over nations. Live in the serene peace of laboratories and libraries. Say to yourselves first : "What have I done for my instruction?" and , as you gradually advance, "What have I done for my country?" until the time comes when you may have the immense happiness of thinking that you have contributed in some way to the progress and to the good of humanity. But, whether our efforts are or not favoured by life, let us be able to say, when we come near the great goal, "I have done what I could.""

"Posterity will one day laugh at the foolishness of modern materialistic philosophers. The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. I pray while I am engaged at my work in the laboratory."

"I beseech you to take interest in these sacred domains so expressively called laboratories. Ask that there be more and that they be adorned for these are the temples of the future, wealth and well-being. It is here that humanity will grow, strengthen and improve. Here, humanity will learn to read progress and individual harmony in the works of nature, while humanity's own works are all too often those of barbarism, fanaticism and destruction."

"L' univers est dissymetrique..."

"There does not exist a category of science to which one can give the name applied science. There are sciences and the applications of science, bound together as the fruit of the tree which bears it."

"Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés."

"I am on the edge of mysteries and the veil is getting thinner and thinner."

"Pasteur was far ahead of his time. Although the structural theory of Kekulé had not yet been proposed, Pasteur explained his results by speaking of the molecules themselves, saying, “There is no doubt that [in the dextro tartaric acid] there exists an asymmetric arrangement having a nonsuperimposable image. It is no less certain that the atoms of the levo acid have precisely the inverse asymmetric arrangement.” Pasteur's vision was extraordinary, for it was not until 25 years later that his ideas regarding the asymmetric carbon atom were confirmed. Today, we would describe Pasteur's work by saying that he had discovered enantiomers. Enantiomers, also called optical isomers, have identical physical properties, such as melting point and boiling point, but differ in the direction in which their solutions rotate plane-polarized light."

"Pasteur originally conceived the idea of germs and of destroying them. Although this started as a personal thing, it has mushroomed into DDT, killing beetles and worms, resulting in food contamination, much sickness, and trouble. Although he is regarded as hero by modern medicine, Pasteur will be treated in much the same way as a warmonger when he is judged in the spiritual world."

"In September 1873 the Germans, who had been occupying sixteen départements, finally left the country. Showing remarkable resilience, the French had discharged the entire five-billion-franc indemnity in a little more than two years. These reparations had been paid so promptly thanks largely to the profits from a booming wine industry, since Louis Pasteur had discovered that pasteurizing wine — briefly heating it to fifty-five degrees Celsius to kill off the microscopic organisms — made it last longer and travel better. The result was an increase in exports to countries such as Britain and America. French art as well as French wine looked like it was beginning to travel well."

"The microbe is nothing. The terrain is everything."

"A little science estranges men from God, but much science leads them back to Him."

"It is surmounting difficulties that makes heroes."

"Religion has no more place in science than science has in religion."

"When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become."

"The more I know, the more nearly is my faith that of the Breton peasant. Could I but know all I would have the faith of a Breton peasant woman."

"You bring me the deepest joy that can be felt by a man whose invincible belief is that Science and Peace will triumph over Ignorance and War, that nations will unite, not to destroy, but to build, and that the future will belong to those who will have done most for suffering humanity."