He said that people who loved [animals] to excess were capable of the worst cruelties toward human beings. He said that dogs were not loyal but servile, that cats were opportunists and traitors, that peacocks were heralds of death, that macaws were simply decorative annoyances, that rabbits fomented greed, that monkeys carried the fever of lust, and that roosters were damned because they had been complicit in the three denials of Christ.
Although some men who were easy with their words said that it was worth sacrificing one’s life for a night of love with such an arousing woman, the truth was that no one made any effort to do so. Perhaps, not only to attain her but also to conjure away her dangers, all that was needed was a feeling as primitive and as simple as that of love, but that was the only thing that did not occur to anyone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the paradox of romantic love, suggesting that while many may speak of its ultimate value, true passion often fails to inspire action.
In this quote, Gabriel Garcia Marquez reflects on the nature of love and desire, portraying the irony that despite romanticized notions of sacrificing for love, the reality is that few are willing to take the risks that love entails. The allure of a passionate night with a beautiful woman provokes talk of devotion, yet the author notes a lack of genuine effort to pursue such love, underscoring that love, while primal, often eludes those who fail to recognize or act upon its profound complexity and potential dangers.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a wedding speech, one might use this quote to illustrate the depths and challenges of love.
More from Gabriel Garcia Marquez
All quotes →Amputees suffer pains, cramps, itches in the leg that is no longer there. That is how she felt without him, feeling his presence where he no longer was.
She had the revelation one Sunday that while the other instruments played for everyone the violen played for her alone .
He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery lessons, and in which Amaranta had played Chinese checkers with Colonel Gerineldo Marquez, and in which Amarana Ursula had sewn the tiny clothing for the child, and in that flash of lucidity he became aware that he was unable to bear in his soul the crushing weight of so much past.
Nobody deserves your tears, but whoever deserves them will not make you cry.
Both described at the same time how it was always March there and always Monday, and then they understood that José Arcadio Buendía was not as crazy as the family said, but that he was the only one who had enough lucidity to sense the truth of the fact that time also stumbled and had accidents and could therefore splinter and leave an eternalized fragment in a room.
Similar quotes
Every beloved object is the center point of a paradise.
True love stories never have endings.
I kiss you and kiss you, With arms around my own, Ah, how shall I miss you, When, dear, you have grown.
Each time you love, love as deeply as if it were forever.
I hid my love when young till I_x000D_ Couldn't bear the buzzing of a fly;_x000D_ I hid my life to my despite_x000D_ Till I could not bear to look at light:_x000D_ I dare not gaze upon her face_x000D_ But left her memory in each place;_x000D_ Where'er I saw a wild flower lie_x000D_ I kissed and bade my love good-bye.
Every one of us is more beloved than we can possibly understand or imagine. Let us therefore be kinder to one another and kinder to ourselves.