--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Noble characters and pure affections and…" description: "\"Noble characters and pure affections and happy scenes are very comforting things. They're a refuge from life's disillusionments.\" — Gustave Flaubert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/gustave-flaubert-354_affection_noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and_238035.jpg" --- # Noble characters and pure affections and happy scenes are… ![“Noble characters and pure affections and happy scenes are very comforting things. They're a refuge from life's disillusionments.” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/gustave-flaubert-354_affection_noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and_238035.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/gustave-flaubert-354_affection_noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and_238035.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/gustave-flaubert-354_affection_noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and_238035.jpg) > “Noble characters and pure affections and happy scenes are very comforting things. They're a refuge from life's disillusionments.” [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. Idealized virtues and joyful moments provide emotional shelter against life's harsh realities. **In simple terms:** Pure feelings and happy scenes soothe us. Key Takeaway Seek comforting experiences when disillusioned. Themes comfort nostalgia resilience Mood reflective calming Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading - art appreciation - personal reflection - stress relief Key Concepts idealism psychological refuge Questions to Reflect On - What comforts do you turn to in hard times? - How can you balance escape with engagement? A Different Perspective Such comforts can become escapism, avoiding confronting problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Affections Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affections-happy-2393574/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Comforting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comforting/) [Comforting Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comforting-things-2393572/) [Disillusionment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disillusionment/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Noble character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble-character/) [Noble Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble-characters-2393573/) [Pure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pure/) [Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Scenes Comforting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenes-comforting-2393571/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/gratitude-is-a-mark-of-a-noble-soul-and-a-refined-character/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [“Happiness comes from righteous living and the development of a noble character. You can observe this by noticing that people who are truly happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-b-andelin/happiness-comes-from-righteous-living-and-the-development-of-a-noble/) [Helen B. Andelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-b-andelin/) > [I liked being Doc Holliday. It's fun to be insightful and aristocratic, to stand up for your friend and make sacrifices for him. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-liked-being-doc-holliday-it-s-fun-to-be-insightful-and-aristocratic/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I wanted to show how a man of sensitive and noble character, born for religion, comes to throw off the orthodoxies of his day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-augusta-ward/i-wanted-to-show-how-a-man-of-sensitive-and-noble-character-born-for/) [Mary Augusta Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-augusta-ward/) > [Greatness of mind becomes an object of love only when the power at work in it itself has a noble character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/greatness-of-mind-becomes-an-object-of-love-only-when-the-power-at/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [The character truest to itself becomes eccentric rather than immovably centered, as Emerson defined the noble character of the hero. At the edge, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/the-character-truest-to-itself-becomes-eccentric-rather-than/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [Noble character is best appreciated in those ages in which it can most readily develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/noble-character-is-best-appreciated-in-those-ages-in-which-it-can/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“He had acquired a reputation for possessing a noble character, and even for being something of a hero - or, at least, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-bishop/he-had-acquired-a-reputation-for-possessing-a-noble-character-and/) [K.J. Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-j-bishop/) > [Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teaching-is-a-very-noble-profession-that-shapes-the-character-caliber/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A noble character loves things unadulterated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/a-noble-character-loves-things-unadulterated/) [sir kristian goldmund aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/) > [Servility is disgusting to a truly noble character, and engenders only contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/servility-is-disgusting-to-a-truly-noble-character-and-engenders-only/) [Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/) > [“Never touch your idols: the gilding will stick to your fingers." (Il ne faut pas toucher aux idoles: la dorure en reste aux mains.) ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/never-touch-your-idols-the-gilding-will-stick-to-your-fingers-il-ne/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [I definitely struggle with a disillusionment towards my body and my gender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esme-creed-miles/i-definitely-struggle-with-a-disillusionment-towards-my-body-and-my/) [Esme Creed-Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esme-creed-miles/) > [The proof that a philosopher does not know what he is talking about is apt to sadden his followers before it reacts on himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-proof-that-a-philosopher-does-not-know-what-he-is-talking-about/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [“Do you know what Ireland is?' asked Stephen with cold violence. 'Ireland is the old sow that eats her farrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/do-you-know-what-ireland-is-asked-stephen-with-cold-violence-ireland/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) ## 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 Affection quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Noble characters and pure affections and happy scenes are very comforting things. They're a refuge from life's disillusionments.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gustave Flaubert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and-happy-scenes-are-very/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affection" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and-happy-scenes-are-very/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/gustave-flaubert-354_affection_noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and_238035.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/gustave-flaubert-354_affection_noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and_238035.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/gustave-flaubert-354_affection_noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and_238035.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Noble characters and pure affections and happy scenes are very comforting things. They're a refuge from…” — 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": "Noble characters and pure affections and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and-happy-scenes-are-very/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/noble-characters-and-pure-affections-and-happy-scenes-are-very/#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 } } ] } ```