Absence diminishes moderate passions and increases great ones, as the…
Quote
Absence diminishes moderate passions and increases great ones, as the wind blows out candles and fans a fire.
The story behind this quote
This maxim belongs to the Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims, the collection François de La Rochefoucauld first published in 1665 and kept revising until the fifth edition in 1678. Each maxim fits in one or two lines and takes apart a received idea about the human heart.
Here a single image carries the whole thought: the wind blows out the small flame of a candle but fans a great fire. In the same way, distance kills shallow loves and friendships, and makes deep feelings stronger.
La Rochefoucauld, a great nobleman who had taken part in the Fronde rebellion, polished his maxims in the Paris salons, especially at Madame de Sablé’s, where guests enjoyed condensing a moral truth into a single sentence. This one is among the most quoted when people speak of separation, exile or long-distance love.
Original text
L’absence diminue les médiocres passions et augmente les grandes, comme le vent éteint les bougies et allume le feu.
The source
Maxims (Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales), maxim 276, 1665
Original text checked word for word in the work; the translation is by quotesay.
Author
François de La Rochefoucauld
A nobleman caught up in the civil wars of the Fronde, François de La Rochefoucauld later frequented the Parisian salons. His Maxims (1665) dissect, with disillusioned lucidity, the self-love behind human conduct.
Quotes by François de La Rochefoucauld