--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even that great poverty which had been…" description: "\"“Even that great poverty which had been and remains mine let up for a few days. I was not, as it happens, opposed to this poverty: I accepted to pay th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59b/andr-breton-2478_life_even-that-great-poverty-which-had-been-a_1402213.jpg" --- # Even that great poverty which had been and remains mine… ![“Even that great poverty which had been and remains mine let up for a few days. I was not, as it happens, opposed to this poverty: I accepted to pay the price for not being a slave to life, to settle for the right I had assumed once and for all to not express any ideas but my own. We were not many…” quote by Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59b/andr-breton-2478_life_even-that-great-poverty-which-had-been-a_1402213.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59b/andr-breton-2478_life_even-that-great-poverty-which-had-been-a_1402213.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59b/andr-breton-2478_life_even-that-great-poverty-which-had-been-a_1402213.jpg) > ““Even that great poverty which had been and remains mine let up for a few days. I was not, as it happens, opposed to this poverty: I accepted to pay the price for not being a slave to life, to settle for the right I had assumed once and for all to not express any ideas but my own. We were not many in doing this… Poverty passed by in the distance, made lovelier and almost justified, a little like what has been called, in the case of a painter who was one of your first friends, the blue period. It seemed the almost inevitable consequence of my refusal to behave the way almost all the others did, whether on one side or another. This poverty, whether you had the time to dread it or not, imagine it was only the other side of the miraculous coin of your existence: the Night of the Sunflower would have been less radiant without it. ”” [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author describes a self‑imposed hardship that, while painful, enriches personal authenticity and artistic depth. **In simple terms:** Accepting hardship can deepen authenticity. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort for growth. Themes authenticity art hardship self‑discovery Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical literary motivational When to use this quote - artistic creation - personal crisis - philosophical reflection - mental resilience Key Concepts existentialism surrealism creative struggle Questions to Reflect On - How does suffering shape your creative voice? - Can discomfort be a catalyst for insight? A Different Perspective Hardship may lead to isolation and stagnation if not balanced with support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pay the price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-the-price/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) ## Related quotes > [My father was a Presbyterian minister, working among the poor in West Virginia. He had taken what amounted to a vow of poverty when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-green-somerville/my-father-was-a-presbyterian-minister-working-among-the-poor-in-west/) [James Green Somerville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-green-somerville/) > [If our family was poor, of what did our poverty consist? If our clothes were torn the torn places only let in the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/if-our-family-was-poor-of-what-did-our-poverty-consist-if-our-clothes/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [The existence of poverty in the US should not be accepted as a necessary evil or insoluble problem, but should be considered a crisis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-existence-of-poverty-in-the-us-should-not-be-accepted-as-a/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“Did poverty in itself lead to moral failings, such as crime? Was "goodness" something that could be objectified and measured? Did society benefit directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-thompson/did-poverty-in-itself-lead-to-moral-failings-such-as-crime-was/) [Jean Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-thompson/) > [Picasso had his pink period and his blue period. I am in my blonde period right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/picasso-had-his-pink-period-and-his-blue-period-i-am-in-my-blonde/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [“To judge God solely by the present world would be a tragic mistake. At one time, it may have been “the best of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/to-judge-god-solely-by-the-present-world-would-be-a-tragic-mistake-at/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Like Picasso, I go through blue periods, green periods, or grey periods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-rykiel/like-picasso-i-go-through-blue-periods-green-periods-or-grey-periods/) [Sonia Rykiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-rykiel/) > [Nothing incites to money-crimes like great poverty or great wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/nothing-incites-to-money-crimes-like-great-poverty-or-great-wealth-2/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Neither great poverty nor great riches will hear reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/neither-great-poverty-nor-great-riches-will-hear-reason/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [I lived in great poverty as a child and young woman, and I used to think of money and how to make money as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-parrish/i-lived-in-great-poverty-as-a-child-and-young-woman-and-i-used-to/) [Leslie Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-parrish/) > [“Nothing incites to money-crimes like great poverty or great wealth. - More Maxims of Mark, Johnson, 1927”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/nothing-incites-to-money-crimes-like-great-poverty-or-great-wealth/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Oh my son, so poor in doing the right things, so rich in doing the wrong things! What great poverty it is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/oh-my-son-so-poor-in-doing-the-right-things-so-rich-in-doing-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [There is hunger for ordinary bread, and there is hunger for love, for kindness, for thoughtfulness, and this is the great poverty that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/there-is-hunger-for-ordinary-bread-and-there-is-hunger-for-love-for/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Jamaica's a country of great dichotomy. On the one hand you have a tourist industry with great beaches and resorts, but on the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/jamaica-s-a-country-of-great-dichotomy-on-the-one-hand-you-have-a/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) > [“I've always been after the trappings of great luxury. But all I've got hold of are the trappings of great poverty. I've got hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cook/i-ve-always-been-after-the-trappings-of-great-luxury-but-all-i-ve-got/) [Peter Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cook/) ## More by Andre Breton > [Of all the arts in which the wise excel, nature's chief masterpiece is writing well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/of-all-the-arts-in-which-the-wise-excel-nature-s-chief-masterpiece-is/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [Under his (Marc Chagall, ed.) sole impulse metaphor made its triumphal entry into modern painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/under-his-marc-chagall-ed-sole-impulse-metaphor-made-its-triumphal/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express -- verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/psychic-automatism-in-its-pure-state-by-which-one-proposes-to-express/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [The art of Frida Kahlo is a ribbon around a bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/the-art-of-frida-kahlo-is-a-ribbon-around-a-bomb/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [“Let us not mince words: The marvelous is always beautiful, anything marvelous is beauitful, in fact only the marvelous is beautiful”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/let-us-not-mince-words-the-marvelous-is-always-beautiful-anything/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [“There has never been any forbidden fruit. Only temptation is divine. To feel the need to vary the object of this temptation, to replace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/there-has-never-been-any-forbidden-fruit-only-temptation-is-divine-to/) [André Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [“It was really a star, a star you were heading toward. You can't fail to reach it. Hearing you speak, I felt that nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/it-was-really-a-star-a-star-you-were-heading-toward-you-can-t-fail-to/) [André Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [“All my life my heart has yearned for a thing I cannot name.” andre breton”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/all-my-life-my-heart-has-yearned-for-a-thing-i-cannot-name-andre/) [andre breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [“Unless you have been inside a sanitarium you do not know that madmen are made there, just as criminals are made in our reformatories.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/unless-you-have-been-inside-a-sanitarium-you-do-not-know-that-madmen/) [André Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [A game: say something. Close your eyes and say something. Anything, a number, a name. Like this (she closes her eyes): Two, two what?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/a-game-say-something-close-your-eyes-and-say-something-anything-a/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [...with the end of my breath, which is the beginning of yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/with-the-end-of-my-breath-which-is-the-beginning-of-yours/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [Past and future monopolize the poet’s sensory and intellectual faculties, detached from the immediate spectacle. These two philtres become utterly clear the moment one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/past-and-future-monopolize-the-poet-s-sensory-and-intellectual/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [If I place love above everything, it is because for me it is the most desperate, the most despairing state of affairs imaginable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/if-i-place-love-above-everything-it-is-because-for-me-it-is-the-most/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [I am the soul in limbo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/i-am-the-soul-in-limbo/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [Surrealism will usher you into death, which is a secret society. It will glove your hand, burying therein the profound M with which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/surrealism-will-usher-you-into-death-which-is-a-secret-society-it/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) [Explore all 141 Andre Breton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Even that great poverty which had been and remains mine let up for a few days. I was not, as it happens, opposed to this poverty: I accepted to pay the price for not being a slave to life, to settle for the right I had assumed once and for all to not express any ideas but my own. We were not many in doing this… Poverty passed by in the distance, made lovelier and almost justified, a little like what has been called, in the case of a painter who was one of your first friends, the blue period. It seemed the almost inevitable consequence of my refusal to behave the way almost all the others did, whether on one side or another. 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