Beauty Quote by Gustave Flaubert
““Never have things of the spirit counted for so little. Never has hatred for everything great been so manifest – disdain for Beauty, execration of literature. I have always tried to live in an ivory tower, but a tide of shit is beating at its walls, threatening to undermine it.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Sentimental Education, Gustave Flaubert, 1869
The spiritual and cultural values are being devalued, while hatred and contempt for greatness rise, threatening the purity of intellectual pursuits.
In simple terms: Spiritual values are ignored, hatred for greatness grows.
Protect and cherish cultural and spiritual ideals.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- academic life
- political discourse
- art criticism
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you maintain personal integrity amid widespread cynicism?
- What can be done to revive respect for beauty and literature?
Even in an ivory tower, external negativity can infiltrate and erode ideals.