Human affairs inspire in noble hearts only two feelings-admiration or pity.
Anatole FranceRead
A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True happiness often involves a degree of ignorance or lack of awareness about certain unpleasant truths.
Anatole France suggests that genuine happiness cannot fully coexist with knowledge of all the complexities and hardships of life. To maintain a sense of joy, individuals may need to consciously choose to overlook or remain ignorant to certain realities, as the weight of knowledge can sometimes burden one's happiness.
Themes
HappinessIgnoranceTruthLifeJoy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mental health, one might say, 'As Anatole France stated, a person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance, highlighting the complexity of joy.'
More from Anatole France
All quotes →Awaken people's curiosity. It is enough to open minds, do not overload them. Put there just a spark.
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In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.
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Justice is the means by which established injustices are sanctioned
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There is a certain impertinence in allowing oneself to be burned for an opinion.
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Lovers who love truly do not write down their happiness.
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