Marquis de Sade

It is not by the means of a religion that we can conquer nature, but by the means of nature that we can conquer religion.

The most beautiful things are those that are conceived in hell and born in heaven.

My manner of thinking, so you say, is an abomination. And yet, I have never been able to think otherwise.

The only way to arrive at the truth is to examine everything, to deny nothing, to reject nothing.

Nature has granted me a temperament that is too ardent, a soul too impetuous, a character too strong, for me to be able to submit to the yoke of any laws.

Crimes are always committed for the sake of enjoyment.

The greatest pleasure of life is love; the greatest luxury is being able to love.

My passions are violent, and when they speak, it is impossible for me not to obey.

There is no God, there is no virtue, there is no religion.

The only happiness we can enjoy is that which we procure for ourselves at the expense of others.

My tastes are not general, I admit; but they are not criminal.

All that is not useful is pernicious.

The imagination is the most marvelous of all the senses.

There are no crimes, there are only actions.

To be truly free, one must be free from all laws, even those of nature.

My only regret in life is that I am not able to live it as I wish.

The greatest pleasure is to cause pain to others.

Virtue, for me, is merely a word.

Nature, in order to enjoy her pleasures, must be cruel.

The most powerful empires are those that are founded on crime.