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A touch of madness is, I think, almost always necessary for constructing a destiny.

— Marguerite Yourcenar

Je crois qu'il faut presque toujours un coup de folie pour bâtir un destin.

Original text (French)

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Fate

More quotes by Marguerite Yourcenar

The world is big … May it please the One who perchance is to expand the human heart to life’s full measure.

The Abyss (1968)

Few bipeds, from Adam's time down, have been worthy of the name of man.

The Abyss (1968)

Human beings betray their worst failings when they marvel to find that a world ruler is neither foolishly indolent, presumptuous, nor cruel.

Memoirs of Hadrian (1951)

The written word has taught me to listen to the human voice, much as the great unchanging statues have taught me to appreciate bodily motions.

Memoirs of Hadrian (1951)

Nothing is slower than the true birth of a man.

Memoirs of Hadrian (1951)

All Marguerite Yourcenar quotes →

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One country, one constitution, one destiny.

Daniel Webster

We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us.

John Lewis

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.

William Jennings Bryan

“Destiny,” said John. “The ghastliest word a man can speak.”

Poul Anderson The Corridors of Time (1965)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Marguerite Yourcenar (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.