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
Thought is a key to all treasures; the miser's gains are ours without his cares. Thus I have soared above this world, where my enjoyment have been intellectual joys.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the value of intellectual thought over material possessions and the freedom that comes from appreciating knowledge.
Honore De Balzac conveys that true treasures lie not in material wealth, but in the richness of thought and intellect. By shifting focus from the possessions hoarded by misers to the joys found in intellectual pursuits, he illustrates how one can transcend the limitations of the material world and find deeper satisfaction in knowledge and ideas.
Themes
ThoughtIntellectTreasureWisdomEnjoyment
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about the value of knowledge over material wealth.
More from Honore De Balzac
All quotes →Loyalty in time of need is possibly one of the noblest of victories a courtier can win over himself.
Honore De BalzacRead
Marriage must incessantly contend with a monster that devours everything: familiarity.
Honore De BalzacRead
Who is to decide which is the grimmer sight: withered hearts, or empty skulls?
Honore De BalzacRead
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?
Honore De BalzacRead
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.
Honore De BalzacRead
Similar quotes
All you have to do, I tell myself, is keep your mouth shut and look stupid. It shouldn't be that hard.
Margaret AtwoodRead
The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.
Charles DarwinRead
We have to choose between what is right, and what is easy.
J. K. RowlingRead
You don’t learn from successes; you don’t learn from awards; you don’t learn from celebrity; you only learn from wounds and scars and mistakes and failures. And that’s the truth.
Jane FondaRead
A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
For years, kids have been asking me what's the greatest superpower. I always say luck. If you're lucky, everything works. I've been lucky.
Stan LeeRead