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Honore de Balzac Quotes

Novelist

French novelist born on May 20, 1799, and died on August 18, 1850. Honore de Balzac is renowned for his profound insight and criticism of 19th-century French society, hailed as the 'father of modern fiction'.

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All Men Love Literature Heart Feelings Humans Love Is Husband Virtue Women Knows Ifs Passion People World May Doe Two Wife Lovers

Famous Honore de Balzac Quotes

“There are two histories : official history, lying, and then secret history, where you find the real causes of events.”

Two War Real Truth Lying Causes Secret History Events Officials

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Marriage is a fight to the death, before which the wedded couple ask a blessing from heaven, because it is the rashest of all undertakings to swear eternal love; the fight at once commences and victory, that is to say liberty, remains in the hands of the cleverer of the two.”

Two Hands Fighting Asks Heaven Liberty Couple Victory Blessing Eternal Remains Swear Undertakings Eternal Love

Book:The Physiology of Marriage

Source: The Physiology of Marriage

“Alas, two men are often necessary to provide a woman with a perfect lover, just as in literature a writer composes a type only by employing the singularities of several similar characters.”

Men Two Character Literature Perfect Type Lovers Alas Singularity Perfect Love Employing Perfect Lover

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Marriage is a fight to the death. Before contracting it, the two parties concerned implore the benediction of Heaven because to promise to love each other forever is the rashest of enterprises.”

Two Fighting Heaven Party Marriage Forever Promise Concerned Enterprise Love Each Other Benediction Contracting

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Possibly the words materialism and spirituality express two sides of one and the same fact.”

Two Facts Spirituality Sides Materialism Two Sides Materiality

Author:Honore de Balzac

“There are two kinds of poets: those who feel and those who express themselves. The former are happier.”

Feels Kind Two Poet Former

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Prostitution and robbery are two living protests, respectively female and male, made by the natural state against the social state.”

Made Two States Social Natural Female Males Protest Prostitution Robbery Females And Males

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Love, according to our contemporary poets, is a privilege which two beings confer upon one another, whereby they may mutually cause one another much sorrow over absolutely nothing.”

Love May Two Causes Poet Sorrow Privilege Contemporary Absolutely Nothing

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Though your vulgarian does not readily admit that feelings can change overnight, certainly two lovers often part far more abruptly than they came together.”

Love Doe Two Feelings Together Lovers Two Lovers

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Materialism and spirituality are two pretty racquets with which charlatans in cap and gown make the same ball fly.”

Two Spirituality Balls Materialism Caps Gowns Charlatans

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Stupidity assumes two forms, it speaks or is silent. Mute stupidity is bearable.”

Two Form Speak Assuming Silent Stupidity Mute Bearable

Author:Honore de Balzac

“To man, faith; to woman, doubt. She bears the heavier burden. Does not woman invariably suffer for two?”

Men Doe Two Suffering Women Doubt Bears Burden

Author:Honore de Balzac

“It is easier for a woman to be a good wife than a good mother. A widow has two duties with contrary obligations: she is a mother and she must exercise paternal authority. Few woman are strong enough to understand and to play this role.”

Two Enough Play Mother Strong Roles Wife Duty Easier Exercise Authority Contrary Obligation Strong Enough Widows Good Mother Good Wife

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Music is of two kinds: one petty, poor, second-rate, never varying, its base the hundred or so phrasings which all musicians understand, a babbling which is more or less pleasant, the life that most composers live.”

Kind Two Poor Music Musician Music Is Hundred Rate Pleasant Composer Petty Second Rate Babbling

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Marriage is a fierce battle before which the two partners ask heaven for its blessing, because loving each other is the most audacious of enterprises; the battle is not slow to start, and victory, that is to say freedom, goes to the cleverest.”

Love Two Asks Heaven Marriage Victory Battle Blessing Partners Enterprise Fierce Audacious

Author:Honore de Balzac

“Like most young people, these two attributed to the world their own intelligence and virtues. Youth who knows no failure has no mercy on the faults of other people; but it has also a sublime faith in them.”

People Knows World Two Young Virtue Youth Mercy Faults Sublime No Failure

Author:Honore de Balzac

“The fact is that love is of two kinds, one which commands, and one which obeys. The two are quite distinct, and the passion to which the one gives rise is not the passion of the other.”

Love Giving Kind Two Facts Passion Hope Love Is Command Stubborn

Book:Letters of Two Brides

Source: Letters of Two Brides

“Love or hatred must constantly increase between two persons who are always together; every moment fresh reasons are found for loving or hating better.”

Persons Two Reason Moments Together Hate Found Literature Hatred Increase Always Together

Author:Honore de Balzac

“What is a child, monsieur, but the image of two beings, the fruit of two sentiments spontaneously blended?”

Children Two Fruit Sentiments

Book:A Woman of Thirty: Works of Balzac

Source: A Woman of Thirty: Works of Balzac

“What moralists describe as the mysteries of the human heart are solely the deceiving thoughts, the spontaneous impulses of self-regard. The sudden changes in character, about which so much has been said, are instinctive calculations for the furtherance of our own pleasures. Seeing himself now in his fine clothes, his new gloves and shoes, Eugène de Rastignac forgot his noble resolve. Youth, when it swerves toward wrong, dares not look in the mirror of conscience; maturity has already seen itself there. That is the whole difference between the two phases of life.”

“One can imagine the look the two lovers exchanged; it was like a flame, for virtuous lovers have not a shred of hypocrisy.”

Looks Two Imagine Lovers Flames Hypocrisy Virtuous Two Lovers

Author:Honore de Balzac

About the Author

Born: May 20, 1799
Died: August 18, 1850
Known for: Novelist
Quotes: 671

Books & Sources

Letters of Two BridesRelated source material

The Magic Skin: Or The Wild Ass's SkinRelated source material

Analytical Studies: Physiology of Marriage and Petty Troubles of Married LifeRelated source material

A Woman of Thirty: Works of BalzacRelated source material

Seraphita: Works of BalzacRelated source material

Father GoriotRelated source material

Old Goriot: Classic French LiteratureRelated source material

The Physiology of Marriage and Pierre GrassouRelated source material

Cousin BetteRelated source material

Louis LambertRelated source material

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