--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a delightful thing to write, to…" description: "\"“It is a delightful thing to write, to cease to be oneself, to flow through the whole creation of which one speaks. Today, for example, man and woman a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/gustave-flaubert-354_gratitude-to-god_it-is-a-delightful-thing-to-write-to-cea_418792.jpg" --- # It is a delightful thing to write, to cease to be oneself… ![“It is a delightful thing to write, to cease to be oneself, to flow through the whole creation of which one speaks. Today, for example, man and woman at the same time, lover and mistress at once, I rode horseback through a forest on an autumn afternoon under the yellow leaves, and I was the horses…” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/gustave-flaubert-354_gratitude-to-god_it-is-a-delightful-thing-to-write-to-cea_418792.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/gustave-flaubert-354_gratitude-to-god_it-is-a-delightful-thing-to-write-to-cea_418792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/gustave-flaubert-354_gratitude-to-god_it-is-a-delightful-thing-to-write-to-cea_418792.jpg) > ““It is a delightful thing to write, to cease to be oneself, to flow through the whole creation of which one speaks. Today, for example, man and woman at the same time, lover and mistress at once, I rode horseback through a forest on an autumn afternoon under the yellow leaves, and I was the horses, the leaves, the wind, the words they said to each other and the red sun that beat down on their eyelids, heavy with love, and made them droop. Is this pride or piety? Is it the inane outpouring of egotism, or a vague and noble religious instinct? When I think it over, after experiencing these delights, I would be tempted to offer a prayer of gratitude to God, if I were sure he could hear me.”” [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 describes losing personal identity to become one with the world, questioning whether this immersion is egoistic or a spiritual communion with the divine. **In simple terms:** Writing can dissolve self into nature and feeling, blurring ego and reverence. Key Takeaway Embrace humility and gratitude in creative immersion. Themes creativity spirituality identity humility Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing retreats - nature walks - meditative art - role‑playing - immersive storytelling Key Concepts ego transcendence divine instinct Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever feel you become the story you tell? - How does humility shape artistic expression? A Different Perspective The experience may be romanticized, overlooking practical limits of self‑loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gratitude to god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude-to-god/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Man and woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-and-woman/) [Oneself Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself-flow-3717544/) [Piety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piety/) [Piety Inane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piety-inane-3717545/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Pride Piety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride-piety-2010852/) [Religious Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-instinct-858134/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Yellow leaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yellow-leaves/) ## Related quotes > [“It is a delicious thing to write, whether well or badly--to be no longer yourself but to move in an entire universe of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-flaubert/it-is-a-delicious-thing-to-write-whether-well-or-badly-to-be-no/) [Gustav Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-flaubert/) > [It is a delicious thing to write, to be no longer yourself but to move in an entire universe of your own creating. Today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/it-is-a-delicious-thing-to-write-to-be-no-longer-yourself-but-to-move/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The religious instinct will never be replaced by law or even philanthropy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-reginald-haweis/the-religious-instinct-will-never-be-replaced-by-law-or-even/) [Hugh Reginald Haweis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-reginald-haweis/) > [Market bashers ... might understand the claim that in some particular field, markets required no intervention--though they'd be skeptical--but the notion that, on general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-sanchez/market-bashers-might-understand-the-claim-that-in-some-particular/) [Julian Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-sanchez/) > [It is the idea that all order must be explained by a functioning mind at the helm, not its denial, that has the closet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-sanchez/it-is-the-idea-that-all-order-must-be-explained-by-a-functioning-mind/) [Julian Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-sanchez/) > [The philosopher aspires to explain away all mysteries, to dissolve them into light. 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Shri Ramakrishna used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-ground-under-the-bilva-tree-is-very-holy-meditating-here-quickly/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [A true religious instinct never deprived man of one single joy; mournful faces and a sombre aspect are the conventional affectations of the weak-minded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/a-true-religious-instinct-never-deprived-man-of-one-single-joy/) [Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/) > [“...there is no deeper religious feeling than the feeling for the natural world. I wouldn't separate the world of nature from the religious instinct...I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-is-no-deeper-religious-feeling-than-the-feeling-for-the-natural/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The philosopher aspires to explain away all mysteries, to dissolve them into light. 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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 Gratitude to god quotes > [If you knew the satisfaction of performing a duty, as well as the gratitude to God which the missionary must always feel in being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livingstone/if-you-knew-the-satisfaction-of-performing-a-duty-as-well-as-the/) [David Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livingstone/) > [“It is a privilege to help children learn the true meaning of Christmas, which is gratitude to God for sending us his son Jesus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/it-is-a-privilege-to-help-children-learn-the-true-meaning-of/) [Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/) > [If you knew the satisfaction of performing such a duty, as well as the gratitude to God which the missionary must always feel, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livingstone/if-you-knew-the-satisfaction-of-performing-such-a-duty-as-well-as-the/) [David Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livingstone/) > [“If our heart and mind are focused on experiencing food as a love note from God, eating becomes not only a way to nourish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-cousens/if-our-heart-and-mind-are-focused-on-experiencing-food-as-a-love-note/) [Gabriel Cousens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-cousens/) > [Gratitude to God makes even a temporal blessing a taste of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-romaine/gratitude-to-god-makes-even-a-temporal-blessing-a-taste-of-heaven/) [William Romaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-romaine/) > [In the spiritual life the easiest way to conquer ego is to offer gratitude to God for five minutes daily. If you cannot offer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/in-the-spiritual-life-the-easiest-way-to-conquer-ego-is-to-offer/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [Kill them all in the Name of the Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell/kill-them-all-in-the-name-of-the-lord/) [Jerry Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell/) > [Truly, my dear young friends, you are a chosen generation. I hope you will never forget it. I hope you will never take it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/truly-my-dear-young-friends-you-are-a-chosen-generation-i-hope-you/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-the-duty-of-all-nations-to-acknowledge-the-providence-of-2/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Joy is prayer. Joy is strength. Joy is love. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. God loves a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/joy-is-prayer-joy-is-strength-joy-is-love-joy-is-a-net-of-love-by-2/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [The best way to show your gratitude to God and people is to accept everything with joy…We may not be able to give much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/the-best-way-to-show-your-gratitude-to-god-and-people-is-to-accept/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“we must give thanks for this day and for every day, no matter how flawed. Bow your heads, give your gratitude to God, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-t-sullivan/we-must-give-thanks-for-this-day-and-for-every-day-no-matter-how/) [Mark T. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-t-sullivan/) > [To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-be-grateful-is-to-recognize-the-love-of-god-in-everything/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/gratitude-to-god-is-to-accept-everything-even-my-problems-with-joy/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“Paul thanked God for the Corinthian believers. During the Thanksgiving holiday, we focus on our blessings and express our gratitude to God for them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/paul-thanked-god-for-the-corinthian-believers-during-the-thanksgiving/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 42 Gratitude to god quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude-to-god/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is a delightful thing to write, to cease to be oneself, to flow through the whole creation of which one speaks. Today, for example, man and woman at the same time, lover and mistress at once, I rode horseback through a forest on an autumn afternoon under the yellow leaves, and I was the horses, the leaves, the wind, the words they said to each other and the red sun that beat down on their eyelids, heavy with love, and made them droop. Is this pride or piety? 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