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
Hatred is the vice of narrow souls; they feed it with all their littleness, and make it the pretext of base tyrannies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Hatred is a sign of a small-minded person who uses it to justify their cruelty.
In this quote, Balzac suggests that hatred stems from a limited perspective and immaturity. Those who hold onto hatred often do so due to their own insecurities and smallness of character, which they use as an excuse to dominate or mistreat others, thus perpetuating tyranny and injustice.
Themes
HatredTyrannySoulLittlenessCruelty
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on intolerance, one might quote Balzac to emphasize the dangers of harboring hatred.
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