Nobody holds a good opinion of a man who has a low opinion of himself.
Anthony TrollopeRead
There is no happiness in love, except at the end of an English novel.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love is often fraught with difficulties, and true happiness may only be found in idealized endings, similar to those in English novels.
This quote by Anthony Trollope suggests that love in reality is often complicated and can lead to unhappiness. The notion of happiness in love is contrasted with the satisfying and often idealistic resolutions found in English novels, where everything typically ends on a positive note, implying that such experiences are rare in real life.
Themes
HappinessLoveNovelRealityIdeal
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the challenges of romantic relationships, this quote could highlight the contrast between real-life love and fictional portrayals.
More from Anthony Trollope
All quotes →Romance is very pretty in novels, but the romance of a life is always a melancholy matter. They are most happy who have no story to tell.
Anthony TrollopeRead
That I can read and be happy while I am reading, is a great blessing.
Anthony TrollopeRead
A man's love, till it has been chastened and fastened by the feeling of duty which marriage brings with it, is instigated mainly by the difficulty of pursuit.
Anthony TrollopeRead
But she knew this,—that it was necessary for her happiness that she should devote herself to some one. All the elegancies and outward charms of life were delightful, if only they could be used as the means to some end. As an end themselves they were nothing.
Anthony TrollopeRead
Nothing surely is as potent as a law that may not be disobeyed. It has the force of the water drop that hollows the stone. A small dainty task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules.
Anthony TrollopeRead
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