Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.
Oliver GoldsmithRead
Romance and novel paint beauty in colors more charming than nature, and describe a happiness that humans never taste. How deceptive and destructive are those pictures of consummate bliss!
Interpretation
What this quote means
Romantic ideals often portray a beauty and happiness that is unattainable in real life, leading to deception and disappointment.
In this quote, Oliver Goldsmith critiques the romanticization found in literature, suggesting that the beauty painted by romance and novels far surpasses the authentic colors of nature. He argues that such depictions create unrealistic standards of happiness and bliss, leading individuals to pursue an elusive ideal, ultimately resulting in disillusionment and destruction when reality falls short of those expectations.
Themes
RomanceBeautyHappinessDeceptionNovelsPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the impact of romantic literature on societal expectations.
More from Oliver Goldsmith
All quotes βA mind too vigorous and active, serves only to consume the body to which it is joined.
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Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.
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Whatever the skill of any country may be in the sciences, it is from its excellence in polite learning alone that it must expect a character from posterity.
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Life at the greatest and best is but a froward child, that must be humored and coaxed a little till it falls asleep, and then all the care is over.
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Hope, like the gleaming taper's light,_x000D_ _x000D_ Adorns and cheers our way;_x000D_ _x000D_ And still, as darker grows the night,_x000D_ _x000D_ Emits a brighter ray.
Oliver GoldsmithRead
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