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Love built on beauty, soon as beauty, dies.
John Donne
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Interpretation

What this quote means

True love transcends physical beauty; if love is based solely on appearance, it fades when beauty does.

This quote by John Donne highlights the transient nature of love that hinges solely on physical beauty. It conveys the idea that if a romantic relationship is built solely on superficial attributes, then it is likely to crumble once those attributes fade, suggesting that deeper emotional connections are essential for lasting love.

Themes

LoveBeautyRelationshipsEmotionTransience

In practice

Example use cases

Using this quote at a wedding speech to emphasize the importance of deeper connections in marriage.

More from John Donne

Reason is our soul's left hand, Faith her right, By these we reach divinity
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All occasions invite His mercies, and all times are His seasons.
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If poisonous minerals, and if that tree, Whose fruit threw death on else immortal us, If lecherous goats, if serpents envious Cannot be damned; alas; why should I be?
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Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
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I call not that virginity a virtue, which resideth onely in the bodies integrity; much less if it be with a purpose of perpetually keeping it: for then it is a most inhumane vice. - But I call that Virginity a virtue which is willing and desirous to yield it self upon honest and lawfull terms, when just reason requireth; and until then, is kept with a modest chastity of body and mind.
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And now good morrow to our waking souls, Which watch not one another out of fear; For love, all love of other sights controls, And makes one little room, an everywhere. Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone, Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown, Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.
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