Nothing is more durable than the dynasty of Doubt; for he reigns in the hearts of all his people, but gives satisfaction to none of them, and yet he is the only despot who can never die, while any of his subjects live.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Pain may be said to follow pleasure as its shadow; but the misfortune is that in this particular case, the substance belongs to the shadow, the emptiness to its cause.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Pain and pleasure are interconnected, but often pain seems more substantial than the fleeting nature of pleasure.
This quote by Charles Caleb Colton suggests that pleasure and pain are intrinsically linked, akin to a shadow following a substance. However, it highlights a distinctive issue: in this dynamic, pain often feels more real or substantial while pleasure can be ephemeral, leading to a sense of emptiness associated with the pursuit of pleasure. The idea prompts reflection on the nature of happiness and suffering in human experience.
Themes
PainPleasureShadowEmptinessPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming hardships, one might use this quote to illustrate the relationship between success and failure.
More from Charles Caleb Colton
All quotes βIt is astonishing how much more people are interested in lengthening life than improving it.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
The benevolent have the advantage of the envious, even in this present life; for the envious man is tormented not only by all the ill that befalls himself, but by all the good that happens to another; whereas the benevolent man is the better prepared to bear his own calamities unruffled, from the complacency and serenity he has secured from contemplating the prosperity of all around him.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Happiness, that grand mistress of the ceremonies in the dance of life, impels us through all its mazes and meanderings, but leads none of us by the same route.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Our minds are as different as our faces. We are all traveling to one destination: happiness, but few are going by the same road.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Moderation is the inseparable companion of wisdom, but with it genius has not even a nodding acquaintance.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
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