That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal; from which it follows that irregularity – that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are a essential part and characteristic of beauty.
Charles BaudelaireRead
The life of our city is rich in poetic and marvelous subjects. We are enveloped and steeped as though in an atmosphere of the marvelous; but we do not notice it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life in the city is filled with beauty and wonder that often goes unnoticed.
Charles Baudelaire's quote reflects the idea that urban life is abundant with extraordinary experiences and poetic themes, suggesting that people are often too caught up in their daily routines to appreciate the marvels around them. He invites us to observe and acknowledge the rich tapestry of life that surrounds us, which can inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of our environment.
Themes
CityMarvelousPoeticLifeAtmosphere
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about urban culture, one could say, 'As Baudelaire reminds us, the life of our city is rich in poetic and marvelous subjects that we often overlook.'
More from Charles Baudelaire
All quotes →The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.
Charles BaudelaireRead
Who among us has not dreamt, in moments of ambition, of the miracle of a poetic prose, musical without rhythm and rhyme, supple and staccato enough to adapt to the lyrical stirrings of the soul, the undulations of dreams, and sudden leaps of consciousness.
Charles BaudelaireRead
There is no sweeter pleasure than to surprise a man by giving him more than he hopes for.
Charles BaudelaireRead
The priest is an immense being because he makes the crowd believe astonishing things.
Charles BaudelaireRead
I consider it useless and tedious to represent what exists, because nothing that exists satisfies me. Nature is ugly, and I prefer the monsters of my fancy to what is positively trivial.
Charles BaudelaireRead
Similar quotes
He who looks sinward has his back to God-he who looks Godward has his back to sin.
Charles SpurgeonRead
But we are alone, darling child, terribly, isolated each from the other; so fierce is the world's ridicule we cannot speak or show our tenderness; for us, death is stronger than life, it pulls like a wind through the dark, all our cries burlesqued in joyless laughter; and with the garbage of loneliness stuffed down us until our guts burst bleeding green, we go screaming round the world, dying in our rented rooms, nightmare hotels, eternal homes of the transient heart.
Truman CapoteRead
Flying has torn apart the relationship of space and time: it uses our old clock but with new yardsticks.
Charles LindberghRead
Human life is something that comes to us from beyond this world, and the purpose of our society is to cherish it and to enable the individual to attain the highest achievement of which he is capable
Harry S. TrumanRead
Stillness is the altar of spirit.
Paramahansa YoganandaRead
...you're waiting because you thought it would follow, you thought there would be some logic, perhaps, something to pull it all together but here we are in the weeds again, here we are in the bowels of the thing: your world doesn't make sense.
Richard SikenRead