--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I have gone back to work; I try to…" description: "\"“But I have gone back to work; I try to intoxicate myself with ink, the way others intoxicate themselves with brandy, so as to forget the public disast..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/gustave-flaubert-354_quote_but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-in_1314787.jpg" --- # But I have gone back to work; I try to intoxicate myself… ![“But I have gone back to work; I try to intoxicate myself with ink, the way others intoxicate themselves with brandy, so as to forget the public disasters and my private sorrows.” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/gustave-flaubert-354_quote_but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-in_1314787.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/gustave-flaubert-354_quote_but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-in_1314787.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/gustave-flaubert-354_quote_but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-in_1314787.jpg) > ““But I have gone back to work; I try to intoxicate myself with ink, the way others intoxicate themselves with brandy, so as to forget the public disasters and my private sorrows.”” [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer uses work and writing as a way to escape personal and societal pain, treating ink like a drink to numb suffering. **In simple terms:** He writes to forget his troubles. Key Takeaway Use creative work as a healthy escape. Themes escape writing pain coping Mood melancholic reflective Type literary personal cathartic When to use this quote - personal grief - societal crisis - creative process - mental health - stress relief Key Concepts addiction metaphor literary catharsis Questions to Reflect On - How do you channel pain into productivity? - What healthier outlets can replace self‑medication? A Different Perspective Reliance on escapism can avoid confronting underlying issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intoxicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intoxicate/) ## Related quotes > [“Killing used to intoxicate me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-s-wrights/killing-used-to-intoxicate-me/) [D.S. Wrights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-s-wrights/) > [Men can intoxicate themselves with ideas as effectually as with alcohol or with bang and produce, be dint of serious thinking, mental conditions hardly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/men-can-intoxicate-themselves-with-ideas-as-effectually-as-with/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [“Wealth, beauty and fame (..) Those three intoxicate a young man, sweep a young man off of his feet and take his shame out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-donmez/wealth-beauty-and-fame-those-three-intoxicate-a-young-man-sweep-a/) Mustafa Donmez > [“Sometimes, when inspiration runs dry, I drink classical music until my words spill out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/sometimes-when-inspiration-runs-dry-i-drink-classical-music-until-my/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [The perverted ingenuity of man has given to water the power of intoxicating where wine is not procured. Western nations intoxicate themselves by moistened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/the-perverted-ingenuity-of-man-has-given-to-water-the-power-of/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Flowers really do intoxicate me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/flowers-really-do-intoxicate-me/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [“One of the rarest and most beautiful things in this world is to meet someone who has the ability to intoxicate you. Every moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-singh/one-of-the-rarest-and-most-beautiful-things-in-this-world-is-to-meet/) [Richie Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-singh/) > [Give me the death of my soul. Intoxicate me with self-love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-osman-spare/give-me-the-death-of-my-soul-intoxicate-me-with-self-love/) [Austin Osman Spare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-osman-spare/) > [“He loved not only her beauty, but that dim soul which he divined behind her suffering eyes. He would intoxicate her with his passion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/he-loved-not-only-her-beauty-but-that-dim-soul-which-he-divined/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“The scent of wine rising from my grave will be so strong that it will intoxicate passers-by. 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We idolize them and take them for granted. We hate them and blame them and exalt them more thoroughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mayhew-bergman/mothers-i-believe-intoxicate-us-we-idolize-them-and-take-them-for/) [Megan Mayhew Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mayhew-bergman/) > [“A truly sensual woman is the kind of woman only a man with a deep soul can intoxicate and satiate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/a-truly-sensual-woman-is-the-kind-of-woman-only-a-man-with-a-deep/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) ## More by Gustave Flaubert > [As for the piano, the faster her fingers flew over it, the more he marveled. She struck the keys with aplomb and ran from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/as-for-the-piano-the-faster-her-fingers-flew-over-it-the-more-he/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Caught up in life, you see it badly. You suffer from it or enjoy it too much. The artist, in my opinion, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/caught-up-in-life-you-see-it-badly-you-suffer-from-it-or-enjoy-it-too/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“When one does something, one must do it wholly and well. 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You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/travel-makes-one-modest-you-see-what-a-tiny-place-you-occupy-in-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“We must not touch our idols; the gilt sticks to our fingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/we-must-not-touch-our-idols-the-gilt-sticks-to-our-fingers/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [A superhuman will is needed in order to write, and I am only a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/a-superhuman-will-is-needed-in-order-to-write-and-i-am-only-a-man/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The writer must wade into life as into the sea, but only up to the navel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-writer-must-wade-into-life-as-into-the-sea-but-only-up-to-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [COLD. Healthier than heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/cold-healthier-than-heat/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [And indeed, what is better than to sit by one's fireside in the evening with a book, while the wind beats against the window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/and-indeed-what-is-better-than-to-sit-by-one-s-fireside-in-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [One's existence should be in two parts: one should live like a bourgeois and think like a demigod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/one-s-existence-should-be-in-two-parts-one-should-live-like-a/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and, while he was dozing off at her side, she lay awake, dreaming other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to-be-asleep-and-while-he-was/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) [Explore all 526 Gustave Flaubert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) ## More Intoxicate quotes > [“Killing used to intoxicate me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-s-wrights/killing-used-to-intoxicate-me/) [D.S. Wrights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-s-wrights/) > [“Mothers, I believe, intoxicate us. We idolize them and take them for granted. We hate them and blame them and exalt them more thoroughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mayhew-bergman/mothers-i-believe-intoxicate-us-we-idolize-them-and-take-them-for/) [Megan Mayhew Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mayhew-bergman/) > [“Hit the bottom and get back up; or hit the bottle and stay down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/hit-the-bottom-and-get-back-up-or-hit-the-bottle-and-stay-down/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [It's amateur night for drinkers so I'm going home to quietly intoxicate myself into a decrepit stupor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amateur-night-for-drinkers-so-i-m-going-home-to-quietly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When love intoxicates your heart, it is difficult for your soul to remain sober.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-love-intoxicates-your-heart-it-is-difficult-for-your-soul-to/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“The scent of wine rising from my grave will be so strong that it will intoxicate passers-by. There will be such an atmosphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/the-scent-of-wine-rising-from-my-grave-will-be-so-strong-that-it-will/) [Omar Khayyám](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/) > [“He loved not only her beauty, but that dim soul which he divined behind her suffering eyes. He would intoxicate her with his passion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/he-loved-not-only-her-beauty-but-that-dim-soul-which-he-divined/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Give me the death of my soul. Intoxicate me with self-love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-osman-spare/give-me-the-death-of-my-soul-intoxicate-me-with-self-love/) [Austin Osman Spare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-osman-spare/) > [“One of the rarest and most beautiful things in this world is to meet someone who has the ability to intoxicate you. Every moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-singh/one-of-the-rarest-and-most-beautiful-things-in-this-world-is-to-meet/) [Richie Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-singh/) > [Flowers really do intoxicate me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/flowers-really-do-intoxicate-me/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [The perverted ingenuity of man has given to water the power of intoxicating where wine is not procured. Western nations intoxicate themselves by moistened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/the-perverted-ingenuity-of-man-has-given-to-water-the-power-of/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [“Sometimes, when inspiration runs dry, I drink classical music until my words spill out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/sometimes-when-inspiration-runs-dry-i-drink-classical-music-until-my/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“Wealth, beauty and fame (..) Those three intoxicate a young man, sweep a young man off of his feet and take his shame out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-donmez/wealth-beauty-and-fame-those-three-intoxicate-a-young-man-sweep-a/) Mustafa Donmez > [Men can intoxicate themselves with ideas as effectually as with alcohol or with bang and produce, be dint of serious thinking, mental conditions hardly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/men-can-intoxicate-themselves-with-ideas-as-effectually-as-with/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [“A truly sensual woman is the kind of woman only a man with a deep soul can intoxicate and satiate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/a-truly-sensual-woman-is-the-kind-of-woman-only-a-man-with-a-deep/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) [Browse all 30 Intoxicate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intoxicate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But I have gone back to work; I try to intoxicate myself with ink, the way others intoxicate themselves with brandy, so as to forget the public disasters and my private sorrows.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gustave Flaubert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-intoxicate-myself-with-ink-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Intoxicate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-intoxicate-myself-with-ink-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/gustave-flaubert-354_quote_but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-in_1314787.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/gustave-flaubert-354_quote_but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-in_1314787.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/776/gustave-flaubert-354_quote_but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-in_1314787.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But I have gone back to work; I try to intoxicate myself with ink, the way others intoxicate themselves with…” — Gustave Flaubert", "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": "Gustave Flaubert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But I have gone back to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-intoxicate-myself-with-ink-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/but-i-have-gone-back-to-work-i-try-to-intoxicate-myself-with-ink-the/#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 } } ] } ```