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A novel is like a bow, and the violin that produces the sound is the reader’s soul.

Stendhal

People are less self-conscious in the intimacy of family life and during the anxiety of a great sorrow. The dazzling varnish of an extreme politeness is then less in evidence, and the true qualities of the heart regain their proper proportions.
STENDHAL

Anxiety Conscious Evidence Family Heart Intimacy Life People Polite Quality
War was then no longer this noble and unified outburst of souls in love with glory that he had imagined from Napoleon’s proclamations.
STENDHAL

Glory Himself Imagination Noble War
Man is not free to refuse to do the thing which gives him more pleasure than any other conceivable action.
STENDHAL

Action Freedom Man Pleasure Refusal
Perhaps men who cannot love passionately are those who feel the effect of beauty most keenly; at any rate this is the strongest impression women can make on them.
STENDHAL

Feeling Impression Love Man Passion Woman
Women prefer emotions to reasoning.
STENDHAL

Emotion Preference Reason Woman
A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love.
STENDHAL

Born Degree Hope Love Small
Wounded pride can take a rich young man far who is surrounded by flatterers since birth.
STENDHAL

Birth Man Pride Rich Surround Wound Young
There is no such thing as “natural law”: this expression is nothing but old nonsense… Prior to laws, what is natural is only the strength of the lion, or the need of the creature suffering from hunger or cold, in short, need.
STENDHAL

Cold Hungry Law Natural Need Strength Suffering
The first virtue of a young man today – that is, for the next fifty years perhaps, as long as we live in fear, and religion has regained its powers – is to be incapable of enthusiasm and not to have much in the way of brains.
STENDHAL

Brain Fear Live Man Power Regain Religion Virtue Way Young
A woman of generous character will sacrifice her life a thousand times over for her lover, but will break with him for ever over a question of pride.
STENDHAL

Break Character Generosity Life Pride Question Sacrifice Woman
When intimacy followed love in Italy there were no longer any vain pretensions between two lovers.
STENDHAL

Act Follow Intimate Love
I think being condemned to death is the only real distinction,” said Mathilde. “It is the only thing which cannot be bought.
STENDHAL

Bought Death Reality Thinking
Faith, I am no such fool; everyone for himself in this desert of selfishness which is called life.
STENDHAL

Desert Faith Fool Happiness Life
The Russians imitate French ways, but always at a distance of fifty years.
STENDHAL

Distance Imitation Time
Because one has little fear of shocking vanity in Italy, people adopt an intimate tone very quickly and discuss personal things.
STENDHAL

Fear Personal Quick Shock Thing
It is with blows dealt by public contempt that a husband kills his wife in the nineteenth century; it is by shutting the doors ofall the drawing-rooms in her face.
STENDHAL

Draw Face Husband Kill Public Room Wife

A novel is like a bow, and the violin that produces the sound is the reader’s soul.

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A novel is like a bow, and the violin that produces the sound is the reader’s soul.

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Popular Authors

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