We must never expect discretion in first love: it is accompanied by such excessive joy that unless the joy is allowed to overflow, it will choke you.
Alexandre DumasRead
There are people who are willing to suffer and swallow their tears at leisure, and God will no doubt reward them in heaven for their resignation; but those who have the will to struggle strike back at fate in retaliation for the blows they receive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the difference between passive acceptance of suffering and actively fighting against one's challenges.
Alexandre Dumas emphasizes the importance of resilience and active resistance in the face of adversity. While some individuals may accept their suffering and await divine reward, those who choose to confront and challenge their circumstances demonstrate true strength and courage, fighting back against the hardships life presents and asserting their will in the face of fate.
Themes
StrengthResilienceAdversityCourageStruggle
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire a speech on overcoming challenges during a graduation ceremony.
More from Alexandre Dumas
All quotes →There are two ways of seeing: with the body and with the soul. The body's sight can sometimes forget, but the soul remembers forever.
Alexandre DumasRead
I do not often laugh, sir, as you may perceive by the air of my countenance; but nevertheless, I retain the privilege of laughing when I please.
Alexandre DumasRead
There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness.
Alexandre DumasRead
Those born to wealth, and who have the means of gratifying every wish, know not what is the real happiness of life, just as those who have been tossed on the stormy waters of the ocean on a few frail planks can alone realize the blessings of fair weather.
Alexandre DumasRead
It is the way of weakened minds to see everything through a black cloud. The soul forms its own horizons; your soul is darkened, and consequently the sky of the future appears stormy and unpromising
Alexandre DumasRead
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