We must never expect discretion in first love: it is accompanied by such excessive joy that unless the joy is allowed to overflow, it will choke you.
Through the ingenuousness of her age beamed an ardent mind, a mind not of the women but of the poet; she did not please, she intoxicated.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote describes a young woman whose intelligence and poetic nature captivate those around her in a profound way.
In this quote, Alexandre Dumas highlights the unique charm of a young woman's mind, suggesting that her creativity and intensity surpass conventional expectations. Rather than merely pleasing others with superficial beauty, she possesses a deeper allure that resonates like poetry, intoxicating those who encounter her. This notion reflects the impact of artistry and originality in human interactions, emphasizing that true influence stems from a compelling intellect and spirit.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a literary festival might use this quote to illustrate the power of artistic expression.
More from Alexandre Dumas
All quotes βThere are two ways of seeing: with the body and with the soul. The body's sight can sometimes forget, but the soul remembers forever.
I do not often laugh, sir, as you may perceive by the air of my countenance; but nevertheless, I retain the privilege of laughing when I please.
There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness.
Those born to wealth, and who have the means of gratifying every wish, know not what is the real happiness of life, just as those who have been tossed on the stormy waters of the ocean on a few frail planks can alone realize the blessings of fair weather.
It is the way of weakened minds to see everything through a black cloud. The soul forms its own horizons; your soul is darkened, and consequently the sky of the future appears stormy and unpromising
Similar quotes
I'm always interested in the spooky repurposing of everyday things.
The thing that influenced me most was the way Tommy played his trombone. It was my idea to make my voice work in the same way as a trombone or violin-not sounding like them, but "playing" the voice like those instrumentalists.
Writing is simply something you must do. It's rather like virtue in that it is its own reward.
My attitude toward punctuation is that it ought to be as conventional as possible. The game of golf would lose a good deal if croquet mallets and billiard cues were allowed on the putting green. You ought to be able to show that you can do it a good deal better than anyone else with the regular tools before you have a license to bring in your own improvements.
Is it wrong, wanting to be at home with your record collection? It's not like collecting records is like collecting stamps, or beermats, or antique thimbles. There's a whole world in here, a nicer, dirtier, more violent, more peaceful, more colorful, sleazier, more dangerous, more loving world than the world I live in; there is history, and geography, and poetry, and countless other things I should have studied at school, including music.
The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.