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
A grocer is attracted to his business by a magnetic force as great as the repulsion which renders it odious to artists.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that the allure of mundane professions can be as strong as the disdain they may evoke in more artistic minds.
Balzac reflects on the contrasting perceptions of work between those who find satisfaction in commerce and those who are drawn to creative pursuits. The reference to 'magnetic force' implies that there is a compelling attraction for some individuals towards practical work, while others, like artists, may feel a strong aversion to it, highlighting the dichotomy in human interests and values.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about career choices in a motivational seminar.
One can imagine the look the two lovers exchanged; it was like a flame, for virtuous lovers have not a shred of hypocrisy.
Loyalty in time of need is possibly one of the noblest of victories a courtier can win over himself.
Marriage must incessantly contend with a monster that devours everything: familiarity.
Who is to decide which is the grimmer sight: withered hearts, or empty skulls?
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?
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.
A man is as unhappy as he has convinced himself he is.
If you tell people you talk to God, they'll think you're religious, but if you say God talks to you, it's ten to one they'll think you're crazy.
How do you deal with a criminal that will not listen to what you have to say and who continues his policy of violence? Some say you continue to talk and let him tire himself out. But nearly 40 years after the institution of apartheid, is there anyone who still believes that verbal persuasion will work?
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.
The church lies at the very center of the eternal purpose of God. It is not a divine afterthought.
A man may acquire a taste for wine or brandy, and so lose his love for water, but should we not pity him.
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