Men made too many laws. So long as they multiplied words they did not clearly understand themselves.Emile Zola
Is it not the poor who usually bear the heavy burden of rebuilding after such public misfortunes?Emile Zola
The river was a monster, insatiable. It swallowed up houses, trees and men without ever having its fill.Emile Zola
I raised my eyes, and in the distance I saw the pallor of the inundated country under the black sky.Emile Zola
Through the noise of the rapids, the howlings of the storm and the creaking of the boat, a silence seemed to fall. It was the country, the fields, the forests, giving up the ghost.Emile Zola
All that remained of our dominions was a bit of ruined wall and a few square feet of pavement.Emile Zola
I had thus been the involuntary cause of the salvation of seven persons. But this thought brought me no pleasure.Emile Zola
Death was so near that I already felt its chill. And I no longer had the strength to defend myself, nor the willingness.Emile Zola
How sad is the sunlight on days of disaster!Emile Zola
I bore my punishment. Nothing could repair our misfortune. Now I belonged to the flood, body and soul.Emile Zola