La Fin De Chéri

“The seventeenth of March. In other words, spring. Desmond, people who think themselves smart, I mean those in the height of fashion, women or men - can they afford to wait any longer before buying their spring wardrobes?””

— Colette

“My son, be rich and live your own life! Tell yourself that you're the incarnation of an ancient aristocracy. Model yourself on the feudal barons. You're a warrior””

— Colette

“We all go through that. Everyone's feeling a little out of sorts. No one knows exactly where he stands. Work is a wonderful way of putting you on your feet again, old boy””

— Colette

“Curious how people can go on doing the same thing day after day!””

— Colette

“Pureté et solitude sont un seul et même malheur.””

— Colette

“The seventeenth, Desmond! Come along at once; everything's all right. We're going to buy a huge bracelet for my wife, an enormous cigarette-holder for Madame Peloux, and a tiny tie-pin for you””

— Colette

“For an instant, Madame Peloux took on her authentic character in her son’s eyes; that is to say, he estimated her at her proper value, a woman high-spirited, all-consuming, calculating and at the same time rash, like a high financier; a woman capable of taking a humorist’s delight in spiteful cruelty. “She is a scourge, certainly,” he said to himself, “and no more. A scourge, but not a stranger.””

— Colette

“But nothing in the world would have brought him to reveal, by publicly protesting, that he was becoming one of those who no longer have anything in common with their fellow creatures. Wary, he kept silent about it, like all the rest.””

— Colette

“These leisurely conversations always revealed their worship of the same twin deities - love and money, and would drift away from money and love to come back to Chéri and his deplorable upbringing, to his exceptional good looks (“harmless, after all,” as Léa would say) and to his character (“virtually non-existent,” as Léa would say). They had a taste for sharing confidences, and a dislike of new words or ideas, which they satisfied in these long talks.””

— Colette