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It does good to no woman to be flattered [by a man] who does not intend to marry her; and it is madness in all women to let a secret love kindle within them, which, if unreturned and unknown, must devour the life that feeds it; and, if discovered and responded to, must lead, ignis-fatuus-like, into miry wilds whence there is no extrication.
Charlotte Bronte
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Flattery without intention for commitment is not beneficial for women, and secret love can lead to emotional turmoil.

In this quote, Charlotte Bronte reflects on the nature of unrequited love and the futility of being flattered by someone who has no intention of forming a serious relationship. She warns that harboring a secret admiration can be damaging, as it may lead to soul-consuming despair, whether it's kept hidden or revealed, ultimately leading to emotional confusion and entrapment.

Themes

LoveFlatteryRelationshipsEmotionsUnrequited

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the risks of secret love, this quote can emphasize the importance of honesty in relationships.

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For a long time the fear of seeming singular scared me away; but by degrees, as people became accustomed to me and my habits, and to such shadows of peculiarity as were engrained in my nature - shades, certainly not striking enough to interest, and perhaps not prominent enough to offend, but born in and with me, and no more to be parted with than my identity - but slow degrees I became a frequenter of this straight narrow path.
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But where are you going to, Helen? Can you see? Do you know?-I believe; I have faith: I am going to God.-Where is God? What is God?-My maker and yours, who will never destroy what He created. I rely implicitly on His power, and confide wholly in His goodness: I count the hours till that eventful one arrives which shall restore me to Him, reveal Him to me.
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