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She was cold by nature, self-love predominating over passion; rather than being virtuous, she preferred to have her pleasures all to herself.
Emile Zola
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote describes a person who prioritizes self-love and personal pleasures over love and virtues.

In this quote, Emile Zola illustrates a character who is emotionally distant and self-centered, valuing her own desires above any virtue or connection with others. The idea of being 'cold by nature' suggests a lack of warmth in her relationships, indicating that her self-interest leaves little room for genuine love or compassion for others.

Themes

Self-LovePassionColdnessVirtuePleasure

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of emotional connection in relationships.

More from Emile Zola

Blow the candle out, I don't need to see what my thoughts look like.
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I believe that all is illusion and vanity outside the treasure of truths slowly accumulated, and which will never again be lost. I believe that the sum of these truths, always increasing, will at last confer on man incalculable power and peace, if not happiness. Yes, I believe in the final triumph of life.
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A ruined man fell from her hands like a ripe fruit, to lie rotting on the ground.
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Oh, the fools, like a lot of good little schoolboys, scared to death of anything they've been taught is wrong!
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Did not one spend the first half of one's days in dreams of happiness and the second half in regrets and terrors?
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They dared not peer down into their own natures, down into the feverish confusion that filled their minds with a kind of dense, acrid mist.
Emile ZolaRead

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