Theophile Gautier

A cat will be your friend, but never your slave.

If you are worthy of its affection, a cat will be your friend but never your slave.

Never violate the sacredness of your individual self-respect.

It is difficult to obtain the friendship of a cat. It is a philosophical animal...one that does not place its affections thoughtlessly.

Art is beauty, the perpetual invention of detail, the choice of words, the exquisite care of execution.

The cat is a dilettante in fur.

To love is to admire with the heart; to admire is to love with the mind.

I am a man for whom the outside world exists.

I am one of those for whom superfluity is a necessity.

What I write is not for little girls.