One can imagine the look the two lovers exchanged; it was like a flame, for virtuous lovers have not a shred of hypocrisy.
Honore De BalzacRead
Equality may be a right, but no power on earth can convert it into fact.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Equality is an ideal that may exist as a principle, but achieving true equality is a complex challenge.
This quote by Honore De Balzac suggests that while equality is recognized as a fundamental right, it cannot simply be enforced or realized through power or authority. It hints at the notion that the existence of equality in theory does not guarantee its presence in reality, and that societal structures, prejudices, and power dynamics can obstruct the attainment of true equality among individuals.
Themes
EqualityRightsPowerFactRealization
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech advocating for social justice, one could use this quote to emphasize the challenges of achieving equality.
More from Honore De Balzac
All quotes βLoyalty in time of need is possibly one of the noblest of victories a courtier can win over himself.
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Marriage must incessantly contend with a monster that devours everything: familiarity.
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Who is to decide which is the grimmer sight: withered hearts, or empty skulls?
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However gross a man may be, the minute he expresses a strong and genuine affection, some inner secretion alters his features, animates his gestures, and colors his voice. The stupidest man will often, under the stress of passion, achieve heights of eloquence, in thought if not in language, and seem to move in some luminous sphere. Goriot's voice and gesture had at this moment the power of communication that characterizes the great actor. Are not our finer feelings the poems of the human will?
Honore De BalzacRead
Love is a religion, and its rituals cost more than those of other religions. It goes by quickly and, like a street urchin, it likes to mark its passage by a trail of devastation.
Honore De BalzacRead
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