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70 Quotes By Marquis De Sade, The Notorious French Author

Famous As: French Writer Whose Perverse Sexual Preferences and Erotic Writings gave Rise to the Term 'Sadism'
Born On: June 2, 1740
Died On: December 2, 1814
Born In: Paris, France
Died At Age: 74
Donatien Alphonse Francois, Marquis de Sade was a French writer, philosopher, radical politician and aristocrat who was distinguished for his libertine sexuality. Sade was born in an aristocratic family and although he wrote many books during his lifetime, he was infamous for indulging in sexual acts that involved different forms of torture, bondage and bestiality that eventually got him imprisoned in 1778. His sexual deviance eventually gave rise to the word ‘Sadism’ in English which means ‘the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others.’ Sade spent around two decades in prison and 12 years in a mental asylum; however it was during his time in prison that he wrote extensively. Most of his work dealt with erotica, sexual fantasies and pornography. Some of the well-known works produced by Sade include ‘Juliette’, ‘The 120 Days of Sodom’, ‘Justine’ and ‘Philosophy in the Bedroom’. Sade was condemned for blasphemy and his written work was also found to be indecent, which earned him another jail sentence. Sade was deeply controversial but remains an interesting character to this day. We have scanned through his works and writings to get Marquis de Sade's quotes. Here is a collection of Marquis de Sade' s quotes that will give you a glimpse into his warped mind.
Either kill me or take me as I am, because I'll be damned if I ever change.

Either kill me or take me as I am, because I'll be damned if I ever change.

Marquis de Sade
My manner of thinking, so you say, cannot be approved. Do you suppose I care? A poor fool indeed is he who adopts a manner of thinking for others!

My manner of thinking, so you say, cannot be approved. Do you suppose I care? A poor fool indeed is he who adopts a manner of thinking for others!

Marquis de Sade
It is only by way of pain one arrives at pleasure

It is only by way of pain one arrives at pleasure

Marquis de Sade
In order to know virtue, we must first acquaint ourselves with vice.

In order to know virtue, we must first acquaint ourselves with vice.

Marquis de Sade
Fuck! Is one expected to be a gentleman when one is stiff?

Fuck! Is one expected to be a gentleman when one is stiff?

Marquis de Sade
We are no guiltier in following the primative impulses that govern us than is the Nile for her floods or the sea for her waves.

We are no guiltier in following the primative impulses that govern us than is the Nile for her floods or the sea for her waves.

Marquis de Sade
Sexual pleasure is, I agree, a passion to which all others are subordinate but in which they all unite.

Sexual pleasure is, I agree, a passion to which all others are subordinate but in which they all unite.

Marquis de Sade
What does one want when one is engaged in the sexual act? That everything around you give you its utter attention, think only of you, care only for you...every man wants to be a tyrant when he fornicates.

What does one want when one is engaged in the sexual act? That everything around you give you its utter attention, think only of you, care only for you...every man wants to be a tyrant when he fornicates.

Marquis de Sade
Certain souls may seem harsh to others, but it is just a way, beknownst only to them, of caring and feeling more deeply.

Certain souls may seem harsh to others, but it is just a way, beknownst only to them, of caring and feeling more deeply.

Marquis de Sade
There is no God, Nature sufficeth unto herself; in no wise hath she need of an author.

There is no God, Nature sufficeth unto herself; in no wise hath she need of an author.

Marquis de Sade
To judge from the notions expounded by theologians, one must conclude that God created most men simply with a view to crowding hell.

To judge from the notions expounded by theologians, one must conclude that God created most men simply with a view to crowding hell.

Marquis de Sade
Lust is to the other passions what the nervous fluid is to life; it supports them all, lends strength to them all ambition, cruelty, avarice, revenge, are all founded on lust.

Lust is to the other passions what the nervous fluid is to life; it supports them all, lends strength to them all ambition, cruelty, avarice, revenge, are all founded on lust.

Marquis de Sade
If it is the dirty element that gives pleasure to the act of lust, then the dirtier it is, the more pleasurable it is bound to be.

If it is the dirty element that gives pleasure to the act of lust, then the dirtier it is, the more pleasurable it is bound to be.

Marquis de Sade
Your body is the church where Nature asks to be reverenced.

Your body is the church where Nature asks to be reverenced.

Marquis de Sade
All universal moral principles are idle fancies.

All universal moral principles are idle fancies.

Marquis de Sade
Sex without pain is like food without taste

Sex without pain is like food without taste

Marquis de Sade
Social order at the expense of liberty is hardly a bargain

Social order at the expense of liberty is hardly a bargain

Marquis de Sade
The man who alters his way of thinking to suit others is a fool.

The man who alters his way of thinking to suit others is a fool.

Marquis de Sade
Sex'' is as important as eating or drinking and we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint or false modesty as the other

Sex'' is as important as eating or drinking and we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint or false modesty as the other

Marquis de Sade
The only way to a woman's heart is along the path of torment.

The only way to a woman's heart is along the path of torment.

Marquis de Sade
I want to be the victim of his errors.

I want to be the victim of his errors.

Marquis de Sade
What we are doing here is only the image of what we would like to do.

What we are doing here is only the image of what we would like to do.

Marquis de Sade
It is not my mode of thought that has caused my misfortunes, but the mode of thought of others.

It is not my mode of thought that has caused my misfortunes, but the mode of thought of others.

Marquis de Sade
I don't know what the heart is, not I: I only use the word to denote the mind's frailties.

I don't know what the heart is, not I: I only use the word to denote the mind's frailties.

Marquis de Sade
The reasoning man who scorns the prejudices of simpletons necessarily becomes the enemy of simpletons; he must expect as much, and laugh at the inevitable.

The reasoning man who scorns the prejudices of simpletons necessarily becomes the enemy of simpletons; he must expect as much, and laugh at the inevitable.

Marquis de Sade
Religions are the cradles of despotism.

Religions are the cradles of despotism.

Marquis de Sade
My passions, concentrated on a single point, resemble the rays of a sun assembled by a magnifying glass: they immediately set fire to whatever object they find in their way.

My passions, concentrated on a single point, resemble the rays of a sun assembled by a magnifying glass: they immediately set fire to whatever object they find in their way.

Marquis de Sade
One must do violence to the object of one's desire; when it surrenders, the pleasure is greater.

One must do violence to the object of one's desire; when it surrenders, the pleasure is greater.

Marquis de Sade
True happiness lies in the senses, and virtue gratifies none of them.

True happiness lies in the senses, and virtue gratifies none of them.

Marquis de Sade
Can we become other than what we are?

Can we become other than what we are?

Marquis de Sade
Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates.

Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates.

Marquis de Sade
Love Is Stronger Than Pride

Love Is Stronger Than Pride

Marquis de Sade
I've already told you: the only way to a woman's heart is along the path of torment. I know none other as sure.

I've already told you: the only way to a woman's heart is along the path of torment. I know none other as sure.

Marquis de Sade
Happiness is an abstraction, it is a product of the imagination, it is a way of being moved, which depends entirely on our way of seeing and feeling.

Happiness is an abstraction, it is a product of the imagination, it is a way of being moved, which depends entirely on our way of seeing and feeling.

Marquis de Sade
Let us give ourselves indiscriminately to everything our passions suggest, and we will always be happy…Conscience is not the voice of Nature but only the voice of prejudice.

Let us give ourselves indiscriminately to everything our passions suggest, and we will always be happy…Conscience is not the voice of Nature but only the voice of prejudice.

Marquis de Sade
It is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure.

It is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure.

Marquis de Sade
Nature has endowed each of us with a capacity for kindly feelings: let us not squander them on others.

Nature has endowed each of us with a capacity for kindly feelings: let us not squander them on others.

Marquis de Sade
In order to know virtue, we must acquaint ourselves with vice. Only then can we know the true measure of a man.

In order to know virtue, we must acquaint ourselves with vice. Only then can we know the true measure of a man.

Marquis de Sade
The completest submissiveness is your lot, and that is all;

The completest submissiveness is your lot, and that is all;

Marquis de Sade
Life is a bitch so enjoy it ;p

Life is a bitch so enjoy it ;p

Marquis de Sade
Were he supreme, were he mighty, were he just, were he good, this God you tell me about, would it be through enigmas and buffooneries he would wish to teach me to serve and know him?

Were he supreme, were he mighty, were he just, were he good, this God you tell me about, would it be through enigmas and buffooneries he would wish to teach me to serve and know him?

Marquis de Sade
I assumed that everything must yield to me, that the entire universe had to flatter my whims, and that I had the right to satisfy them at will.

I assumed that everything must yield to me, that the entire universe had to flatter my whims, and that I had the right to satisfy them at will.

Marquis de Sade
Variety, multiplicity are the two most powerful vehicles of lust.

Variety, multiplicity are the two most powerful vehicles of lust.

Marquis de Sade
Crime is to the passions what nervous fluid is to life: it sustains them, it supplies their strength.

Crime is to the passions what nervous fluid is to life: it sustains them, it supplies their strength.

Marquis de Sade
Truth titillates the imagination far less than fiction.

Truth titillates the imagination far less than fiction.

Marquis de Sade
The law which attempts a man's life [capital punishment] is impractical, unjust, inadmissible. It has never repressed crime--for a second crime is every day committed at the foot of the scaffold.

The law which attempts a man's life [capital punishment] is impractical, unjust, inadmissible. It has never repressed crime--for a second crime is every day committed at the foot of the scaffold.

Marquis de Sade
The impossibility of outraging nature is the greatest anguish man can know.

The impossibility of outraging nature is the greatest anguish man can know.

Marquis de Sade
Fear not lest precautions and protective contrivances diminish your pleasure: mystery only adds thereto.

Fear not lest precautions and protective contrivances diminish your pleasure: mystery only adds thereto.

Marquis de Sade
The past encourages me, the present electrifies me, and I have little fear for the future; and my hope is that the rest of my life shall by far surpass the extravagances of my youth.

The past encourages me, the present electrifies me, and I have little fear for the future; and my hope is that the rest of my life shall by far surpass the extravagances of my youth.

Marquis de Sade
One has always had too much when one has had enough

One has always had too much when one has had enough

Marquis de Sade
It has been estimated that more than 50 million individuals have lost their lives to wars and religious massacres. Is there even one among them worth the blood of a single bird?

It has been estimated that more than 50 million individuals have lost their lives to wars and religious massacres. Is there even one among them worth the blood of a single bird?

Marquis de Sade
The reasoning man who rejects the superstitions of simpletons necessarily becomes their enemy; he must expect as much and be prepared to laugh at the consequences.

The reasoning man who rejects the superstitions of simpletons necessarily becomes their enemy; he must expect as much and be prepared to laugh at the consequences.

Marquis de Sade
Oh! my friend, never seek to corrupt the person whom you love, it can go further than you think...

Oh! my friend, never seek to corrupt the person whom you love, it can go further than you think...

Marquis de Sade
There is no more lively sensation than that of pain; its impressions are certain and dependable, they never deceive as may those of the pleasure women perpetually feign and almost never experience.

There is no more lively sensation than that of pain; its impressions are certain and dependable, they never deceive as may those of the pleasure women perpetually feign and almost never experience.

Marquis de Sade
My vengeance needs blood.

My vengeance needs blood.

Marquis de Sade
It is only by sacrificing everything to sensual pleasure that this being known as Man, cast into the world in spite of himself, may succeed in sowing a few roses on the thorns of life.

It is only by sacrificing everything to sensual pleasure that this being known as Man, cast into the world in spite of himself, may succeed in sowing a few roses on the thorns of life.

Marquis de Sade
A little less vice is virtuousness in a very vicious heart

A little less vice is virtuousness in a very vicious heart

Marquis de Sade
It is only by imitating the vices of others that I have earned my misfortunes.

It is only by imitating the vices of others that I have earned my misfortunes.

Marquis de Sade
Nothing quite encourages as does one's first unpunished crime.

Nothing quite encourages as does one's first unpunished crime.

Marquis de Sade
I suggest somewhere that anyone who wishes to write and has no aptitude for it would be better off making shoes for ladies and boots for men.

I suggest somewhere that anyone who wishes to write and has no aptitude for it would be better off making shoes for ladies and boots for men.

Marquis de Sade
This monster was outfitted with faculties so gigantic that even the broadest thoroughfares would still have appeared too narrow for him.

This monster was outfitted with faculties so gigantic that even the broadest thoroughfares would still have appeared too narrow for him.

Marquis de Sade
Minä en epäröi koskaan valinnoissani ja koska olen aina varma, että löydän nautinnon siitä mitä teen, en koskaan katumalla turmele sen viehätystä.

Minä en epäröi koskaan valinnoissani ja koska olen aina varma, että löydän nautinnon siitä mitä teen, en koskaan katumalla turmele sen viehätystä.

Marquis de Sade
The greatest pleasures are born of conquered repugnancies.

The greatest pleasures are born of conquered repugnancies.

Marquis de Sade
Those who are unhappy
clutch at shadows, and to
give themselves an enjoyment
that truth refuses them, they
artfully bring into being all
sorts of illusions.

Those who are unhappy clutch at shadows, and to give themselves an enjoyment that truth refuses them, they artfully bring into being all sorts of illusions.

Marquis de Sade
It has pleased Nature so to make us that we attain happiness only by way of pain.

It has pleased Nature so to make us that we attain happiness only by way of pain.

Marquis de Sade
Only two things are required to accredit
an alleged miracle: a mountebank and a crowd of spineless lookers-on.

Only two things are required to accredit an alleged miracle: a mountebank and a crowd of spineless lookers-on.

Marquis de Sade
Self-interest lies behind all that men do, forming the important motive for all their actions; this rule has never deceived me

Self-interest lies behind all that men do, forming the important motive for all their actions; this rule has never deceived me

Marquis de Sade
...Madame, I have become a whore through good-will and libertine through virtue.

...Madame, I have become a whore through good-will and libertine through virtue.

Marquis de Sade