“It is all, all her fault,” he said to himself; “but what of that? Why did I bind myself to her? Why did I say ‘ Je vous aime ’ 46 to her, which was a lie, and worse than a lie? I am guilty and must endure⁠ ⁠… what? A slur on my name? A misfortune for life? Oh, that’s nonsense,” he thought. “The slur on my name and honor⁠—that’s all apart from myself.”

“Louis XVI was executed because they said he was dishonorable and a criminal,” came into Pierre’s head, “and from their point of view they were right, as were those too who canonized him and died a martyr’s death for his sake. Then Robespierre was beheaded for being a despot. Who is right and who is wrong? No one! But if you are alive⁠—live: tomorrow you’ll die as I might have died an hour ago. And is it worth tormenting oneself, when one has only a moment of life in comparison with eternity?”