--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Absence diminishes little passions and…" description: "\"Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire\" — Francois La Rochefoucauld" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/francois-la-rochefoucauld-1390_desire_absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-i_378802.jpg" --- # Absence diminishes little passions and increases great… ![“Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire” quote by Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/francois-la-rochefoucauld-1390_desire_absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-i_378802.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/francois-la-rochefoucauld-1390_desire_absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-i_378802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/francois-la-rochefoucauld-1390_desire_absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-i_378802.jpg) > “Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire” [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small emotions fade while strong emotions grow, like wind that puts out a candle but fuels a fire. **In simple terms:** Weak feelings die, strong ones grow. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage intense emotions. Themes emotions intensity control Mood reflective cautious Type aphilosophical advisory When to use this quote - personal relationships - conflict resolution - leadership - stress management Key Concepts psychology human nature Questions to Reflect On - How do you channel intense feelings productively? - What triggers your strongest emotions? A Different Perspective Strong emotions can become destructive if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) ## Related quotes > [Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires. - Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/absence-diminishes-mediocre-passions-and-increases-great-ones-as-the-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/absence-diminishes-mediocre-passions-and-increases-great-ones-as-the/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [... they know little of the passions who seek to argue with that most intractable of them all, the fear that is born of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-russell-mitford/they-know-little-of-the-passions-who-seek-to-argue-with-that-most/) [Mary Russell Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-russell-mitford/) > [“Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and fans the bonfire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-duc-de-la-rochefoucauld/absence-diminishes-small-loves-and-increases-great-ones-as-the-wind/) [Francois Duc de la Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-duc-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [L'absence diminue les mediocres passions, et augmente les grandes,comme le vent eteint les bougies, et allume le feu. Absence diminishes commonplace passions, and increases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/l-absence-diminue-les-mediocres-passions-et-augmente-les-grandes/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and blows up the bonfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/absence-diminishes-small-loves-and-increases-great-ones-as-the-wind-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yet—some Frenchman had written—“absence diminishes commonplace passions and enhances great ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/yet-some-frenchman-had-written-absence-diminishes-commonplace/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [“Absence is to love what wind is to fire, it extinguishes the small, it ignites the great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-de-rabutin-comte-de-bussy-2/absence-is-to-love-what-wind-is-to-fire-it-extinguishes-the-small-it-3/) Roger de Rabutin comte de Bussy > [Absence is to love as wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small and kindles the great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-de-bussy-rabutin/absence-is-to-love-as-wind-is-to-fire-it-extinguishes-the-small-and/) Roger De Bussy-Rabutin > [“Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-de-bussy-rabutin/absence-is-to-love-what-wind-is-to-fire-it-extinguishes-the-small-it-2/) Roger de Bussy-Rabutin > [Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/absence-is-to-love-what-wind-is-to-fire-it-extinguishes-the-small-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wind feeds the fire, and wind extinguishes: The flames are nourished by a gentle breeze, Yet, if it stronger grows, they sink and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/wind-feeds-the-fire-and-wind-extinguishes-the-flames-are-nourished-by/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Distance is to love like wind is to fire...it extinguishes the small and kindles the great!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahleenzkie/distance-is-to-love-like-wind-is-to-fire-it-extinguishes-the-small/) [Sahleenzkie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahleenzkie/) > [Absence is to love as wind is to fire: it extinguishes the little flame, it fans the big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/absence-is-to-love-as-wind-is-to-fire-it-extinguishes-the-little/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The same wind that extinguishes a light can set a brazier on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-beaumarchais/the-same-wind-that-extinguishes-a-light-can-set-a-brazier-on-fire/) [Pierre Beaumarchais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-beaumarchais/) ## More by Francois La Rochefoucauld > [If we are to judge of love by the consequences, it more nearly resembles hatred than friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/if-we-are-to-judge-of-love-by-the-consequences-it-more-nearly/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The world more often rewards the appearance of merit than merit itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/the-world-more-often-rewards-the-appearance-of-merit-than-merit-itself/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The mind cannot long act the role of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/the-mind-cannot-long-act-the-role-of-the-heart/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The pleasure of love is in loving. We are much happier in the passion we feel than in that we inspire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/the-pleasure-of-love-is-in-loving-we-are-much-happier-in-the-passion/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [If we judge of love by its usual effects, it resembles hatred more than friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/if-we-judge-of-love-by-its-usual-effects-it-resembles-hatred-more/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [When our vices quit us, we flatter ourselves with the belief that it is we who quit them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/when-our-vices-quit-us-we-flatter-ourselves-with-the-belief-that-it/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Little minds are too much hurt by little things; great minds are quite conscious of them and despise them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/little-minds-are-too-much-hurt-by-little-things-great-minds-are-quite/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Age is a tyrant who forbids at the penalty of life all the pleasures of youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/age-is-a-tyrant-who-forbids-at-the-penalty-of-life-all-the-pleasures/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [In their first passion women love their lovers, in all the others they love love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/in-their-first-passion-women-love-their-lovers-in-all-the-others-they/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Fertility of mind does not furnish us with so many resources on the same matter, as the lack of intelligence makes us hesitate at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/fertility-of-mind-does-not-furnish-us-with-so-many-resources-on-the/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“On n'est jamais si heureux ni si malheureux qu'on s'imagine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/on-n-est-jamais-si-heureux-ni-si-malheureux-qu-on-s-imagine/) [François La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [We often pass from love to ambition, but we hardly ever return from ambition to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/we-often-pass-from-love-to-ambition-but-we-hardly-ever-return-from/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Few persons have sufficient wisdom to prefer censure, which is useful, to praise which deceives them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/few-persons-have-sufficient-wisdom-to-prefer-censure-which-is-useful/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Sometimes we are less unhappy in being deceived by those we love, than in being undecieved by them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/sometimes-we-are-less-unhappy-in-being-deceived-by-those-we-love-than-2/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Women who love, pardon more readily great indiscretions than little infidelities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/women-who-love-pardon-more-readily-great-indiscretions-than-little/) [Francois La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) [Explore all 40 Francois La Rochefoucauld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francois La Rochefoucauld" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-increases-great-ones-as-wind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-increases-great-ones-as-wind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/francois-la-rochefoucauld-1390_desire_absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-i_378802.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/francois-la-rochefoucauld-1390_desire_absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-i_378802.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/francois-la-rochefoucauld-1390_desire_absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-i_378802.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire” — Francois La Rochefoucauld", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Francois La Rochefoucauld", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-la-rochefoucauld/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Absence diminishes little passions and increases...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-increases-great-ones-as-wind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-la-rochefoucauld/absence-diminishes-little-passions-and-increases-great-ones-as-wind/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```