--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thus the dream house must possess every…" description: "\"“Thus the dream house must possess every virtue. How­ ever spacious, it must also be a cottage, a dove-cote, a nest, a chrysalis. Intimacy needs the he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/gaston-bachelard-2318_cottage_thus-the-dream-house-must-possess-every_1800539.jpg" --- # Thus the dream house must possess every virtue. How­ ever… ![“Thus the dream house must possess every virtue. How­ ever spacious, it must also be a cottage, a dove-cote, a nest, a chrysalis. Intimacy needs the heart of a nest. Erasmus, his biographer tells us, was long "in finding a nook in his fine house in which he could put his little body with safety. He…” quote by Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/gaston-bachelard-2318_cottage_thus-the-dream-house-must-possess-every_1800539.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/gaston-bachelard-2318_cottage_thus-the-dream-house-must-possess-every_1800539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/gaston-bachelard-2318_cottage_thus-the-dream-house-must-possess-every_1800539.jpg) > ““Thus the dream house must possess every virtue. How­ ever spacious, it must also be a cottage, a dove-cote, a nest, a chrysalis. Intimacy needs the heart of a nest. Erasmus, his biographer tells us, was long "in finding a nook in his fine house in which he could put his little body with safety. He ended by confining himself to one room until he could breathe the parched air that was necessary to him. ”” [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A home must combine spaciousness with intimate, protective spaces that nurture the soul. **In simple terms:** A house needs both room and cozy corners. Key Takeaway Seek balance between openness and intimacy. Themes architecture psychology home intimacy space Mood reflective contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - designing homes - personal retreats - small apartments - creative studios - healing spaces Key Concepts Phenomenology environmental psychology dwelling Questions to Reflect On - How can you create a nurturing nook in a big room? - What does “nest” mean for your wellbeing? A Different Perspective Large spaces can feel empty without personal, intimate areas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cottage/) [Dream house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-house/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Heart Nest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-nest-2026833/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Nest Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nest-erasmus-2026831/) [Spacious Cottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spacious-cottage-2026832/) ## Related quotes > [“You lie upon my heart as on a nest, Folded in peace, for you can never know How crushed I am with having you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lowell/you-lie-upon-my-heart-as-on-a-nest-folded-in-peace-for-you-can-never/) [Amy Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lowell/) > [He was touched in the cavity where his heart should have been, in that nest of addled eggs, where the birds of heaven would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/he-was-touched-in-the-cavity-where-his-heart-should-have-been-in-that/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Sometimes the house of the future is better built, lighter and larger than all the houses of the past, so that the image of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/sometimes-the-house-of-the-future-is-better-built-lighter-and-larger/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [The house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/the-house-protects-the-dreamer-the-house-allows-one-to-dream-in-peace/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [ Everybody can close their eyes, picture a dream house or a perfect place \[where\] they'd like to have a picnic. But actually creating it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-corgan/everybody-can-close-their-eyes-picture-a-dream-house-or-a-perfect/) [Billy Corgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-corgan/) > [A generation before, it had been sagebrush and coyotes; a generation later, it was a burgeoning movie town. But for that brief idyllic time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/a-generation-before-it-had-been-sagebrush-and-coyotes-a-generation/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [“When Wiley moved back to Safe Haven, flush with ill-gotten gains, he spared no expense building his dream house. And Wiley’s idea of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kilborn/when-wiley-moved-back-to-safe-haven-flush-with-ill-gotten-gains-he/) [Jack Kilborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kilborn/) > [You might be a redneck if your daughter's Barbie's Dream House has a clothesline in the front yard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-your-daughter-s-barbie-s-dream-house-has-a/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [“I just realized... maybe it's maturity or the wisdom that comes with age, but the witch in Hansel and Gretel -- she's very misunderstood.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sex-the-city/i-just-realized-maybe-it-s-maturity-or-the-wisdom-that-comes-with-age/) [Sex & the City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sex-the-city/) > [“One of the other firemen joined us. His damp T-shirt clung to a stomach that had required far too many sit-ups, but I enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/one-of-the-other-firemen-joined-us-his-damp-t-shirt-clung-to-a/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [What good is a dream house if you haven't got a dream?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-shulman/what-good-is-a-dream-house-if-you-haven-t-got-a-dream/) [Julius Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-shulman/) > [“It's so hard to think about designing our dream home when all l wanna do is lay you out like a blueprint & bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-tyrone-jones/it-s-so-hard-to-think-about-designing-our-dream-home-when-all-l-wanna/) [Curtis Tyrone Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-tyrone-jones/) > [“I’ve finally figured out that almost no one is living in their dream house. And I don’t know anyone whose life has gone exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myquillyn-smith/i-ve-finally-figured-out-that-almost-no-one-is-living-in-their-dream/) [Myquillyn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myquillyn-smith/) > [“Look at it, Dane. Look at the city and the world in its proud array, like a cask of jewels laid open for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/look-at-it-dane-look-at-the-city-and-the-world-in-its-proud-array/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [NO Education = McDonalds, Streets or Jail, Education= Lawyer, Doctor, Physical Therapist, Dream house, money and car. STAY IN SCHOOL :-)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel/no-education-mcdonalds-streets-or-jail-education-lawyer-doctor/) [Raquel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel/) ## More by Gaston Bachelard > [Dreaming by the river, I dedicated my imagination to water, to clear, green water, the water that makes the meadows green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/dreaming-by-the-river-i-dedicated-my-imagination-to-water-to-clear/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [If we did not have a feminine being within us, how would we rest ourselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/if-we-did-not-have-a-feminine-being-within-us-how-would-we-rest/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [The image can only be studied through the image, by dreaming images as they gather in reverie. It is a non-sense to claim to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/the-image-can-only-be-studied-through-the-image-by-dreaming-images-as/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [If there is any realm where distinction is especially difficult, it is the realm of childhood memories, the realm of beloved images harbored in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/if-there-is-any-realm-where-distinction-is-especially-difficult-it-is/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [In scientific thought, the concept functions all the better for being cut off from all background images. 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One hears them with their sounds divorced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-writing-you-discover-interior-sonorities-in-words-dipthongs-sound/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Here we are at the very core of the thesis we wish to defend in the present essay: reverie is under the sign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/here-we-are-at-the-very-core-of-the-thesis-we-wish-to-defend-in-the/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [There are children who will leave a game to go and be bored in a corner of the garret. How often have I wished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/there-are-children-who-will-leave-a-game-to-go-and-be-bored-in-a/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Ideas are refined and multiplied in the commerce of minds. In their splendor, images effect a very simple communion of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/ideas-are-refined-and-multiplied-in-the-commerce-of-minds-in-their/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [The poetic image is a sudden salience on the surface of the psyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/the-poetic-image-is-a-sudden-salience-on-the-surface-of-the-psyche/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [In our view any awareness is an increment to consciousness, an added light, a reinforcement of psychic coherence. Its swiftness or instantaneity can hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-our-view-any-awareness-is-an-increment-to-consciousness-an-added/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Imagination is a tree. It has the integrative virtues of a tree. It is root and boughs. It lives between earth and sky. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/imagination-is-a-tree-it-has-the-integrative-virtues-of-a-tree-it-is/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Two half philosophers will probably never a whole metaphysician make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/two-half-philosophers-will-probably-never-a-whole-metaphysician-make/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Irony gives us, at little expense, the impression that we are experienced psychologists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/irony-gives-us-at-little-expense-the-impression-that-we-are/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) [Explore all 166 Gaston Bachelard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) ## More Cottage quotes > [I read the rumors, and I know there is a cottage industry of meanness out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-lauer/i-read-the-rumors-and-i-know-there-is-a-cottage-industry-of-meanness/) [Matt Lauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-lauer/) > [“It doesn't matter how busy life's been, how long the five of us have gone without seeing one another: meeting at the cottage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-henry/it-doesn-t-matter-how-busy-life-s-been-how-long-the-five-of-us-have/) [Emily Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-henry/) > [“The bedroom was larger than our entire cottage. Its walls were pale green, delicately sketched with patterns of gold, and the mouldings were golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/the-bedroom-was-larger-than-our-entire-cottage-its-walls-were-pale/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [You're buying for the benefit of the cottage experience at a fraction of the price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-bird/you-re-buying-for-the-benefit-of-the-cottage-experience-at-a-fraction/) [Brad Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-bird/) > [Khaddar does not displace a single cottage industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/khaddar-does-not-displace-a-single-cottage-industry/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I have always been attracted to the cottage industry side of this business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bailey/i-have-always-been-attracted-to-the-cottage-industry-side-of-this/) [Derek Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bailey/) > [“cousin, or something.’ Vivien raised an eyebrow as she passed back Henderson’s glass. ‘Even people who’ve lived here their whole lives can’t get back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-muchamore/cousin-or-something-vivien-raised-an-eyebrow-as-she-passed-back/) [Robert Muchamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-muchamore/) > [John is a cottage industry in Baltimore and the city opens its doors for him whenever he is making a new film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mink-stole/john-is-a-cottage-industry-in-baltimore-and-the-city-opens-its-doors/) [Mink Stole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mink-stole/) > [“If I was an eccentric old spinster in a Merchant Ivory movie, I'd want to share my lovely cottage with Holly and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-samson/if-i-was-an-eccentric-old-spinster-in-a-merchant-ivory-movie-i-d-want/) [Lisa Samson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-samson/) > [“That night, I fell into a deep, travel-weary sleep, lulled by the familiar sound of the waterfall beyond the window. I dreamed of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-gaynor/that-night-i-fell-into-a-deep-travel-weary-sleep-lulled-by-the/) [Hazel Gaynor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-gaynor/) > [I still see myself as a bit of a cottage industry. Being in a room creating stuff and seeing if anyone wants it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-still-see-myself-as-a-bit-of-a-cottage-industry-being-in-a-room/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [The snow has left the cottage top; The thatch moss grows in brighter green; And eaves in quick succession drop, Where grinning icicles have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clare/the-snow-has-left-the-cottage-top-the-thatch-moss-grows-in-brighter/) [John Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clare/) > [The cottage garden; most for use designed, Yet not of beauty destitute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-smith/the-cottage-garden-most-for-use-designed-yet-not-of-beauty-destitute/) [Charlotte Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-smith/) > [A cottage will hold as much happiness as would stock a palace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-wright-mabie/a-cottage-will-hold-as-much-happiness-as-would-stock-a-palace/) [Hamilton Wright Mabie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-wright-mabie/) > [Let them show me a cottage where there are not the same vices of which they accuse the courts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-them-show-me-a-cottage-where-there-are-not-the-same-vices-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 133 Cottage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cottage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Thus the dream house must possess every virtue. 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