Madame de Pompadour excelled at an art which the majority of human beings thoroughly despise because it is unprofitable and ephemeral: the art of living. Few human beings since the world began can have owned so many beautiful things. Versailles presented a cheerful spectacle of several thousand people living for pleasure and very much enjoying themselves. ..a life without worries and without remorse, of a perfectly serene laziness of the spirit, of perpetual youth, of happy days out of doors and happy evenings chatting and gambling in the great wonderful palace.. If ever a house radiated cheerfulness, that house is Versailles. The four main pastimes were love, gambling, hunting and the official entertainments. Love was played like a game, or like a comedy. ..enormous fortunes were won and lost.. They could not help loving anything that made them laugh. Who leaves the table loses the game. Quotes from " Madame de Pompadour