Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness.
George SandRead
I regard as a mortal sin not only the lying of the senses in matters of love, but also the illusion which the senses seek to create where love is only partial. I say, I believe, that one must love with all of one's being, or else live, come what may, a life of complete chastity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True love requires complete honesty and depth, while mere illusion leads to an unfulfilled life.
George Sand emphasizes the importance of genuine and total love, rejecting superficial relationships that only scratch the surface. She argues that to love partially or deceitfully is to commit a 'mortal sin,' urging that one should either fully invest in love or remain chaste, as only true devotion can lead to fulfillment in love.
Themes
LoveHonestyDevotionIllusionChastity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the depth of relationships, this quote could illustrate the necessity for genuine love.
More from George Sand
All quotes →Humanity is outraged in me and with me. We must not dissimulate nor try to forget this indignation, which is one of the most passionate forms of love.
George SandRead
Young love needs dangers and barriers to nourish it.
George SandRead
Once my heart was captured, reason was shown the door, deliberately and with a sort of frantic joy. I accepted everything, I believed everything, without struggle, without suffering, without regret, without false shame. How can one blush for what one adores?
George SandRead
Some say that cats are devils, but they behave badly only when they are alone. When they are among us cats are angels.
George SandRead
One is happy as a result of one's own efforts, once one knows of the necessary ingredients of happiness-simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self-denial to a point, love of work, and, above all, a clear conscience. Happiness is no vague dream, of that I now feel certain.
George SandRead
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