--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For him the universe did not extend…" description: "\"For him the universe did not extend beyond the circumference of her petticoat.\" — Gustave Flaubert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/gustave-flaubert-354_love_for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyo_1441616.jpg" --- # For him the universe did not extend beyond the… ![“For him the universe did not extend beyond the circumference of her petticoat.” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/gustave-flaubert-354_love_for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyo_1441616.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/gustave-flaubert-354_love_for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyo_1441616.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/gustave-flaubert-354_love_for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyo_1441616.jpg) > “For him the universe did not extend beyond the circumference of her petticoat.” [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. His perception of the world is limited to the woman's influence, showing narrow worldview **In simple terms:** He sees the world only through her influence Key Takeaway Broaden perspective beyond one person’s influence Themes perception gender limitations Mood critical analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationship counseling - personal development - gender studies - cultural analysis Key Concepts objectification subjective reality social constraints Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on one person limit understanding? - What steps expand worldview beyond personal relationships? A Different Perspective May ignore broader societal factors and agency ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Circumference Petticoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumference-petticoat-5160379/) [Did Extend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-extend-5160381/) [Extend Circumference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extend-circumference-5160380/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Petticoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/petticoat-335674/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-did-595377/) ## Related quotes > [The reading or non-reading a book will never keep down a single petticoat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/the-reading-or-non-reading-a-book-will-never-keep-down-a-single/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [ “\[I\]f I were turned out of the realm in my petticoat I were able to live in any place in Christendom.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i-tudor/i-f-i-were-turned-out-of-the-realm-in-my-petticoat-i-were-able-to/) [Elizabeth I Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i-tudor/) > [Captain Niall, having apparently resigned himself to losing his quarry, was savaging her horsehair petticoat into teeny, tiny shreds. "Really, what did my poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/captain-niall-having-apparently-resigned-himself-to-losing-his-quarry/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [There are two questions that get to us all: Are we alone in the Universe? And, where did we come from? For me, science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/there-are-two-questions-that-get-to-us-all-are-we-alone-in-the/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“Sooner or later, Chrono believed, the magical forces of the Universe would put everything back together again. They always did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/sooner-or-later-chrono-believed-the-magical-forces-of-the-universe/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I got incerdibly heavy boots about how relatively insignificant life is, and how, compared to the universe and compared to time, it didn't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-got-incerdibly-heavy-boots-about-how-relatively-insignificant-life/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [When you realize that the laws of nature must be incredibly finely tuned to produce the universe we see, that conspires to plant the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-polkinghorne/when-you-realize-that-the-laws-of-nature-must-be-incredibly-finely/) [John Polkinghorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-polkinghorne/) > [The universe never did make sense; I suspect it was built on government contract.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-universe-never-did-make-sense-i-suspect-it-was-built-on/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [The universe did not invent justice. Man did. Unfortunately, man must reside in the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/the-universe-did-not-invent-justice-man-did-unfortunately-man-must/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [I didn't choose acting. The universe did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waris-ahluwalia/i-didn-t-choose-acting-the-universe-did/) [Waris Ahluwalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waris-ahluwalia/) > [One might be led to suspect that there were all sorts of things going on in the Universe which he or she did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/one-might-be-led-to-suspect-that-there-were-all-sorts-of-things-going/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“The generalized theory of relativity has furnished still more remarkable results. This considers not only uniform but also accelerated motion. In particular, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-michelson/the-generalized-theory-of-relativity-has-furnished-still-more/) [A.A. Michelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-michelson/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“The universe is not punishing you or blessing you. The universe is simply responding to the vibrational attitude that you are emitting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-hicks/the-universe-is-not-punishing-you-or-blessing-you-the-universe-is/) [Abraham Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-hicks/) ## 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. Those bastard existences where you sell suet all day and write poetry at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-one-does-something-one-must-do-it-wholly-and-well-those-bastard/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/isn-t-not-to-be-bored-one-of-the-principal-goals-of-life/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to which it clings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/love-is-a-springtime-plant-that-perfumes-everything-with-its-hope/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“But her life was as cold as an attic facing north; and boredom, like a silent spider, was weaving its web in the shadows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/but-her-life-was-as-cold-as-an-attic-facing-north-and-boredom-like-a/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [When you reduce a woman to writing, she makes you think of a thousand other women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-you-reduce-a-woman-to-writing-she-makes-you-think-of-a-thousand/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Travel makes one modest. 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 Heart quotes > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) [Rena Kornreich Gelissen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rena-kornreich-gelissen/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For him the universe did not extend beyond the circumference of her petticoat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gustave Flaubert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyond-the-circumference-of-her/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyond-the-circumference-of-her/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/gustave-flaubert-354_love_for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyo_1441616.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/gustave-flaubert-354_love_for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyo_1441616.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62f/gustave-flaubert-354_love_for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyo_1441616.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For him the universe did not extend beyond the circumference of her petticoat.” — 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": "For him the universe did not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyond-the-circumference-of-her/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/for-him-the-universe-did-not-extend-beyond-the-circumference-of-her/#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 } } ] } ```