We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.
OvidRead
Majesty and love do not well agree, nor do they live together.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Majesty and love are often seen as conflicting, suggesting that power and affection do not coexist harmoniously.
This quote by Ovid reflects the idea that the attributes of majesty, which often imply authority and distance, do not easily align with the intimacy and vulnerability that love requires. Love thrives on equality, closeness, and emotional connection, which can be overshadowed by the aloofness and grandeur of majesty. Therefore, the quote suggests a struggle between the two concepts, indicating that true love cannot flourish in the presence of overwhelming authority or superiority.
Themes
MajestyLoveConflictAffectionPower
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared at a wedding to highlight the importance of genuine love over power dynamics.
More from Ovid
All quotes βAll things human hang by a slender thread; and that which seemed to stand strong suddenly falls and sinks in ruins.
OvidRead
A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man's brow.
OvidRead
Fas est ab hoste doceri._x000D_ One should learn even from one's enemies.
OvidRead
Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.
OvidRead
The end doesn't justify the means.
OvidRead
Similar quotes
Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity. That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith, through which the intellect attains to the natural and supernatural truth of charity: it grasps its meaning as gift, acceptance, and communion. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way.
Pope Benedict XviRead
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He who has fostered the sweet poison of love by fondling it, finds it too late to refuse the yoke which he has of his own accord assumed.
Seneca The YoungerRead
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RajneeshRead
When I find a woman attractive, I have nothing at all to say. I simply watch her smile. Intellectuals take apart her face in order to explain it bit by bit, but they no longer see the smile.
Antoine De Saint-ExuperyRead