But the disparaging of those we love always alienates us from them to some extent. We must not touch our idols; the gilt comes off in our hands.

Quote by Gustave Flaubert

Topics: Gustave Flaubert Quotes

Oh, if I had been loved at the age of seventeen, what an idiot I...

Oh, if I had been loved at the age of seventeen, what an idiot I...

Judge the goodness of a book by the energy of the punches it has given...

Judge the goodness of a book by the energy of the punches it has given...

In the dark room a cloud of yellow dust flew from beneath the tool like...

In the dark room a cloud of yellow dust flew from beneath the tool like...

The faster the word sticks to the thought, the more beautiful is the effect.

The faster the word sticks to the thought, the more beautiful is the effect.

Success is a consequence and must not be a goal.

Success is a consequence and must not be a goal.

Caught up in life, you see it badly. You suffer from it or enjoy it...

Caught up in life, you see it badly. You suffer from it or enjoy it...

To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if...

To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if...

All one's inventions are true, you can be sure of that. Poetry is as exact...

All one's inventions are true, you can be sure of that. Poetry is as exact...

I hate that which we have decided to call realism, even though I have been...

I hate that which we have decided to call realism, even though I have been...

A superhuman will is needed in order to write, and I am only a man.

A superhuman will is needed in order to write, and I am only a man.

Style is as much under the words as in the words. It is as much...

Style is as much under the words as in the words. It is as much...

The cult of art gives pride; one never has too much of it.

The cult of art gives pride; one never has too much of it.

A memory is a beautiful thing, it's almost a desire that you miss.

A memory is a beautiful thing, it's almost a desire that you miss.

Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears...

Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears...

Writing is a dog's life, but the only life worth living.

Writing is a dog's life, but the only life worth living.

I go from exasperation to a state of collapse, then I recover and go from...

I go from exasperation to a state of collapse, then I recover and go from...

Anything becomes interesting if you look at it long enough.

Anything becomes interesting if you look at it long enough.

The most glorious moments in your life are not the so-called days of success, but...

The most glorious moments in your life are not the so-called days of success, but...

It seems to me that I have always existed and that I possess memories that...

It seems to me that I have always existed and that I possess memories that...

I have come to have the firm conviction that vanity is the basis of everything,...

I have come to have the firm conviction that vanity is the basis of everything,...