Gustave Flaubert

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. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#always #comes #disparaging #extent #gilt

Caught up in life, you see it badly. You suffer from it or enjoy it too much. The artist, in my opinion, is a monstrosity, something outside of nature. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#badly #caught #enjoy #in my opinion #life

Exuberance is better than taste. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#exuberance #taste #than

Happiness is a monstrosity! Punished are those who seek it. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#monstrosity #punished #seek #those #who

I hate that which we have decided to call realism, even though I have been made one of its high priests. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#call #decided #even #hate #high

I have come to have the firm conviction that vanity is the basis of everything, and finally that what one calls conscience is only inner vanity. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#calls #come #conscience #conviction #everything

I have the handicap of being born with a special language to which I alone have the key. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#being #born #handicap #i #key

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. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#beat #cracked #dance #kettle #language

Of all possible debauches, traveling is the greatest that I know; that's the one they invented when they got tired of all the others. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#greatest #i #invented #know #others

One must always hope when one is desperate, and doubt when one hopes. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#desperate #doubt #hope #hopes #must