That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal; from which it follows that irregularity β that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are a essential part and characteristic of beauty.
Charles BaudelaireRead
One should always be drunk. That's all that matters...But with what? With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you chose. But get drunk.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of immersing oneself in passions or virtues to escape reality.
Charles Baudelaire's quote suggests that the essence of life lies in becoming intoxicated by passionsβbe it through wine, art, or noble ideals. It reflects a philosophy that encourages individuals to seek what brings them joy and fulfillment, urging them to become 'drunk' with experiences that inspire and elevate the spirit, rather than merely going through the motions of existence.
Themes
PassionVirtueArtPoetryIntoxicationLife
In practice
Example use cases
During a toast at a wedding to encourage love and passion.
More from Charles Baudelaire
All quotes βThe dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.
Charles BaudelaireRead
Who among us has not dreamt, in moments of ambition, of the miracle of a poetic prose, musical without rhythm and rhyme, supple and staccato enough to adapt to the lyrical stirrings of the soul, the undulations of dreams, and sudden leaps of consciousness.
Charles BaudelaireRead
There is no sweeter pleasure than to surprise a man by giving him more than he hopes for.
Charles BaudelaireRead
The priest is an immense being because he makes the crowd believe astonishing things.
Charles BaudelaireRead
I consider it useless and tedious to represent what exists, because nothing that exists satisfies me. Nature is ugly, and I prefer the monsters of my fancy to what is positively trivial.
Charles BaudelaireRead
Similar quotes
The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.
John F. KennedyRead
Religion is defined as social systems whose participants avow a supernatural agent or agents whose approval is to be sought.
Daniel DennettRead
I think every woman in our culture is a feminist. They may refuse to articulate it, but if you were to take any woman back 40 years and say, 'Is this a world you want to live in?' They would say, 'No.'
Helen MirrenRead
I don't think that the total creation took place in six days as we now measure time. If we can confirm, say, the Big Bang theory, that doesn't at all cause me to question my faith that God created the Big Bang.
Jimmy CarterRead
Our waking life's desire to shape the world to our convenience invites all manner of paradox and difficulty.
Cormac MccarthyRead
We're all worth the same_x000D_ When we turn off the light.
Shel SilversteinRead