Charity Quote by Charles Baudelaire
“What men call love is a very small, restricted, feeble thing compared with this ineffable orgy, this divine prostitution of the soul giving itself entire, all its poetry and all its charity, to the unexpected as it comes along, to the stranger as he passes.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: Les Fleurs du Mal, 1857
Love is portrayed as a limited, weak feeling compared to a boundless, divine, selfless generosity that embraces the unexpected and strangers.
In simple terms: Love is small; divine generosity is vast and selfless.
Key Takeaway
Seek expansive, selfless love.
Themes
love
spirituality
generosity
divinity
humanity
Mood
hopeful
melancholic
Type
inspirational
poetic
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- spiritual practice
- artistic creation
- community service
Key Concepts
selflessness
transcendence
unexpected encounters
poetry
charity
Questions to Reflect On
- Can ordinary love be a form of divine generosity?
- How to cultivate selfless love daily?
A Different Perspective
The ideal may be unattainable, causing frustration when ordinary love falls short.
![“The man who is unable to people his solitude is equally unable to be alone in a bustling crowd. The poet enjoys the incomparable privilege of being able to be himself or some one else, as he chooses. [...] The solitary and thoughtful stroller finds a singular intoxication in this universal…” quote by Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/081/charles-baudelaire-473_able_the-man-who-is-unable-to-people-his-soli_855538.jpg)
