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The ascetic is often a sensualist who has reached the limit of his capacity.
Jacques Barzun
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote suggests that those who seek asceticism may be driven by an intense experience of pleasure.

Jacques Barzun highlights the paradoxical relationship between asceticism and sensuality, indicating that an ascetic—someone who renounces worldly pleasures—may actually be a sensualist who has experienced such pleasures deeply. This implies that the commitment to abstaining from indulgence stems not from an absence of desire, but rather from having reached the limits of enjoyment where further sensual experiences no longer hold value.

Themes

AsceticismSensualityPleasureDesireSelf-Control

In practice

Example use cases

In a philosophical discussion on the nature of desire and self-denial.

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Convince yourself that you are working in clay, not marble, on paper not eternal bronze: Let that first sentence be as stupid as it wishes.
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The world has long observed that small acts of immorality, if repeated, will destroy character. It is equally manifest, though never said, that uttering nonsense and half-truth without cease ends by destroying Intellect
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