That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal; from which it follows that irregularity – that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are a essential part and characteristic of beauty.
Charles BaudelaireRead
Unable to suppress love, the Church wanted at least to disinfect it, and it created marriage.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that love is an uncontrollable force that institutions try to regulate or purify through the concept of marriage.
In this quote, Baudelaire reflects on how love is a powerful and inherent emotion that can’t be easily controlled or suppressed. The Church, recognizing the intensity and chaos of love, sought to establish marriage as a social structure that would contain and sanitize these passionate feelings, thus giving it a formalized context while attempting to impose order on an inherently wild force.
Themes
LoveMarriageEmotionChurchRegulation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a wedding speech that reflects on the nature of love and commitment.
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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.
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There is no sweeter pleasure than to surprise a man by giving him more than he hopes for.
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The priest is an immense being because he makes the crowd believe astonishing things.
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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.
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