“It is a very good business.”

Original: C’est une très bonne affaire. — The brisk commercial phrase reveals the practical, entrepreneurial voice of Rimbaud’s later correspondence. · Letter to his family from Aden, 18 January 1882 (French)

• Commerce
• Opportunity
• Work

“One must be absolutely modern.”

Original: Il faut être absolument moderne. — A stark call to confront the present rather than retreat into inherited forms, consolations or conventions. · A Season in Hell, Adieu, 1873 (French)

• Change
• Courage
• Modernity

“I am ready for perfection.”

Original: Je suis prêt pour la perfection. — The statement expresses an intense and almost paradoxical confidence in the midst of spiritual turmoil. · A Season in Hell, Night in Hell, 1873 (French)

• Confidence
• Perfection
• Spirituality