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
The fact is that love is of two kinds, one which commands, and one which obeys. The two are quite distinct, and the passion to which the one gives rise is not the passion of the other.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love can either be commanding or submissive, and these two types evoke different emotions.
In this quote by Honore De Balzac, the author distinguishes between two forms of love: one that dominates and demands while the other is more passive and obedient. This distinction highlights how these contrasting passions not only differ in their expression but also in the emotional experiences they create for individuals involved in such relationships.
Themes
LovePassionRelationshipsEmotionsObedience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a discussion about the dynamics of romantic relationships at a seminar.
More from Honore De Balzac
All quotes →Loyalty in time of need is possibly one of the noblest of victories a courtier can win over himself.
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Marriage must incessantly contend with a monster that devours everything: familiarity.
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Who is to decide which is the grimmer sight: withered hearts, or empty skulls?
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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?
Honore De BalzacRead
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.
Honore De BalzacRead
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