One can imagine the look the two lovers exchanged; it was like a flame, for virtuous lovers have not a shred of hypocrisy.
Honore De BalzacRead
When there is an old maid in the house, a watchdog is unnecessary.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously suggests that the presence of an old maid provides enough vigilance in a household, making a watchdog redundant.
Honore De Balzac's quote plays on the stereotype of 'old maids' being keen observers of their surroundings and suggests that their attentiveness can be so effective that it negates the need for a watchdog. The humor lies in the exaggeration of the old maid's watchfulness, implying she is more alert and observant than a conventional guard dog.
Themes
HumorOld MaidWatchdogVigilance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a humorous speech about household management.
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Marriage must incessantly contend with a monster that devours everything: familiarity.
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Who is to decide which is the grimmer sight: withered hearts, or empty skulls?
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However gross a man may be, the minute he expresses a strong and genuine affection, some inner secretion alters his features, animates his gestures, and colors his voice. The stupidest man will often, under the stress of passion, achieve heights of eloquence, in thought if not in language, and seem to move in some luminous sphere. Goriot's voice and gesture had at this moment the power of communication that characterizes the great actor. Are not our finer feelings the poems of the human will?
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Love is a religion, and its rituals cost more than those of other religions. It goes by quickly and, like a street urchin, it likes to mark its passage by a trail of devastation.
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