Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.

Quote by Gustave Flaubert

Topics: Gustave Flaubert Quotes

The true poet for me is a priest. As soon as he dons the cassock,...

The true poet for me is a priest. As soon as he dons the cassock,...

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...

Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to...

Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to...

Earth has its boundaries, but human stupidity is limitless.

Earth has its boundaries, but human stupidity is limitless.

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...

The more humanity advances, the more it is degraded.

The more humanity advances, the more it is degraded.

The author, in his work, must be like God in the Universe, present everywhere and...

The author, in his work, must be like God in the Universe, present everywhere and...

Of all possible debauches, traveling is the greatest that I know; that's the one they...

Of all possible debauches, traveling is the greatest that I know; that's the one they...

I will cover you with love when next I see you, with caresses, with ecstasy....

I will cover you with love when next I see you, with caresses, with ecstasy....

Our ignorance of history causes us to slander our own times.

Our ignorance of history causes us to slander our own times.

There are neither good nor bad subjects. From the point of view of pure Art,...

There are neither good nor bad subjects. From the point of view of pure Art,...

She (Madame Bovary) had that indefinable beauty that comes from happiness, enthusiasm, success - a...

She (Madame Bovary) had that indefinable beauty that comes from happiness, enthusiasm, success - a...

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...

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...

One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels.

One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels.

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

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

Human speech is like a cracked cauldron on which we bang out tunes that make...

Human speech is like a cracked cauldron on which we bang out tunes that make...

The fountain is my speech. The tulips are my speech. The grass and trees are...

The fountain is my speech. The tulips are my speech. The grass and trees are...

Talking and eloquence are not the same: to speak and to speak well are two...

Talking and eloquence are not the same: to speak and to speak well are two...

Criticism of government finds sanctuary in several portions of the 1st Amendment. It is part...

Criticism of government finds sanctuary in several portions of the 1st Amendment. It is part...