One can imagine the look the two lovers exchanged; it was like a flame, for virtuous lovers have not a shred of hypocrisy.
Honore De BalzacRead
When women love us, they forgive us everything, even our crimes; when they do not love us, they give us credit for nothing, not even our virtues.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that a woman's love can overshadow a man's faults, while a lack of love results in a harsh critique of his character.
Honore De Balzac's quote reflects the complex nature of love and perception in relationships. It highlights how love can transform how we view a person, allowing us to overlook their wrongdoings and appreciate their virtues. Conversely, when love is absent, we become critical and fail to acknowledge the good qualities in the other person, suggesting that our perceptions are deeply influenced by our emotional connections.
Themes
LoveForgivenessPerceptionRelationshipsEmotions
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the nature of love in a relationship seminar.
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However gross a man may be, the minute he expresses a strong and genuine affection, some inner secretion alters his features, animates his gestures, and colors his voice. The stupidest man will often, under the stress of passion, achieve heights of eloquence, in thought if not in language, and seem to move in some luminous sphere. Goriot's voice and gesture had at this moment the power of communication that characterizes the great actor. Are not our finer feelings the poems of the human will?
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Love is a religion, and its rituals cost more than those of other religions. It goes by quickly and, like a street urchin, it likes to mark its passage by a trail of devastation.
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