Children Quote by Anatole France
““My children, it is not enough to love passionately; you must also love well. A passionate love is good doubtless, but a beautiful love is better. May you have as much strength as gentleness; may it lack nothing, not even forbearance, and let even a little compassion be mingled with it. You are young, fair and good; but you are human, and because of this capable of much suffering. If then something of compassion does not enter into the feelings you have one for the other, these feelings will not always befit all the circumstances of your life together; they will be like festive robes that will not shield you from wind and rain. We love truly only those we love even in their weakness and their poverty. To forbear, to forgive, to console, that alone is the science of love.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard, 1881
Love should combine passion with kindness, strength with gentleness, and compassion, forming a resilient, beautiful bond.
In simple terms: Love needs both passion and kindness.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate compassionate love.
Themes
love
compassion
humanity
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- marriage
- parenting
- friendships
Key Concepts
philosophy
ethics
emotional intelligence
Questions to Reflect On
- What balance of passion and kindness do you practice?
- How can compassion strengthen relationships?
A Different Perspective
Passion alone may be fleeting without kindness.
