94 Notable Quotes By Gustave Flaubert, The Exponent Of Literary Realism
Gustave Flaubert was a French novelist who is rightfully included among the greatest literary figures to have ever existed. He is credited for laying the foundations of the branch of literature which is popularly known as literary realism. Writing was Flaubert’s hobby right from the time when he was a child and even though he enrolled to study law in Paris, it was literature that eventually became his career. Flaubert’s decision to become an author was vindicated when his 1857 novel ‘Madame Bovary’ went on to become a huge hit. It is considered among one of the greatest novels ever written. Some of his other major works include ‘Memoirs of a Madman’, ‘Sentimental Education’, ‘Dictionary of Received Ideas’, ‘Three Tales’, ‘Salammbo’ and ‘The Temptation of Saint Anthony’ among others. Flaubert’s novels became an inspiration for generations of writers and more importantly, one of the greatest short story writers in history, Guy de Maupassant was guided by him in his literary journey. Flaubert was without doubt one of the leading intellectuals of his time, whose novels reflected a sense of reality that was not normally found in novels of that time. The below collection of Gustave Flaubert most famous quotes have been excerpted from his writings, novels and thoughts. We bring to you some of the best quotes, sayings and thoughts from the life and works of Gustave Flaubert.
Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.
Do not read as children do to enjoy themselves, or, as the ambitious do to educate themselves. No, read to live.
Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.
Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.
There is not a particle of life which does not bear poetry within it
Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars.
Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.
One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels.
It’s hard to communicate anything exactly and that’s why perfect relationships between people are difficult to find.
Doubt … is an illness that comes from knowledge and leads to madness.
She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris.
Never touch your idols: the gilding will stick to your fingers." (Il ne faut pas toucher aux idoles: la dorure en reste aux mains.)
I am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within.
The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.
An infinity of passion can be contained in one minute, like a crowd in a small space.
To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost.
It is always sad to leave a place to which one knows one will never return. Such are the melancolies du voyage: perhaps they are one of the most rewarding things about traveling.
The one way of tolerating existence is to lose oneself in literature as in a perpetual orgy.
You don’t make art out of good intentions.
Pleasure is found first in anticipation, later in memory.
There is no truth. There is only perception.
One's duty is to feel what is great, cherish the beautiful, and to not accept the conventions of society with the ignominy that it imposes upon us.
There are two infinities that confuse me: the one in my soul devours me; the one around me will crush me
Everything, even herself, was now unbearable to her. She wished that, taking wing like a bird, she could fly somewhere, far away to regions of purity, and there grow young again.
I don't believe that happiness is possible, but I think tranquility is.
Stupidity lies in wanting to draw conclusions.
You must write for yourself, above all. That is your only hope of creating something beautiful.
The public wants work which flatters its illusions.
Writing is a dog’s life, but the only one worth living.
He had the vanity to believe men did not like him – while men simply did not know him.
