It has become necessary for me to have this woman, so as to save myself from the ridicule of being in love with her: for to what lengths will a man not be driven by thwarted desire?
Pierre Choderlos De LaclosRead
Cast between the extremes of happiness and misfortune, uncertainty is a cruel torment.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Uncertainty can create distress as we navigate between joy and sorrow.
This quote highlights the emotional struggle that arises from uncertainty in life. In the backdrop of happiness and misfortune, it signifies that not knowing what comes next can be a source of great anguish, causing us to feel stuck in a limbo where neither joy nor despair provides solace.
Themes
UncertaintyHappinessMisfortuneTormentLife
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about resilience, one might say, 'As Pierre Choderlos De Laclos poignantly noted, uncertainty is a cruel torment.'
More from Pierre Choderlos De Laclos
All quotes βHumanity is not perfect in any fashion; no more in the case of evil than in that of good. The criminal has his virtues, just as the honest man has his weaknesses.
Pierre Choderlos De LaclosRead
I am astonished at the pleasure one experiences in doing good; and I should be tempted to believe that what we call virtuous people have not so much merit as they lead us to suppose.
Pierre Choderlos De LaclosRead
It was there, in particular, that I confirmed the truth that love, which we cry up as the source of our pleasures, is nothing more than an excuse for them.
Pierre Choderlos De LaclosRead
...it is not for the illusion of a moment to govern the choice of a lifetime.
Pierre Choderlos De LaclosRead
How characteristic of your perverse heart that longs only for what happens to be out of reach.
Pierre Choderlos De LaclosRead
Similar quotes
If we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love, and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of βI could have, I should haveβ. We can sleep in a storm. And when its time, our goodbyes will be complete.
Mitch AlbomRead
You don't have to understand why anything that has happened nor do you even have to understand what it is that has happened. You have only to live with the remains.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
Later when I thought of the chickens, one of those rare pale blue eggs rose up into my throat. The chickens had been part of our family, and the egg in my throat was the feeling of something missing. It was hard and smooth and heavy, but also so fragile it might break and make me cry. It was the feeling of growing out of a favorite shirt, milk spilled on the floor, the last bit of honey in the jar, falling apple blossoms. It was the lump in the throat behind everything beautiful in life.
Melissa ColemanRead
The rumble of the life outside was like the sound of the sea which was rising gradually around her.
Jean RhysRead
Life piles up so fast that I have no time to write out the equally fast rising mound of reflections.
Virginia WoolfRead
I like being with people. I like talking to them. I like everything about my life, so it's fun.
Stan LeeRead