--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So far as Emma was concerned she did not…" description: "\"“So far as Emma was concerned she did not ask herself whether she was in love. Love, she thought, was something that must come suddenly, with a great d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/gustave-flaubert-354_heart-and-soul_so-far-as-emma-was-concerned-she-did-not_1344015.jpg" --- # So far as Emma was concerned she did not ask herself… ![“So far as Emma was concerned she did not ask herself whether she was in love. Love, she thought, was something that must come suddenly, with a great display of thunder and lightning, descending on one's life like a tempest from above, turning it topsy-turvy, whirling away one's resolutions like…” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/gustave-flaubert-354_heart-and-soul_so-far-as-emma-was-concerned-she-did-not_1344015.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/gustave-flaubert-354_heart-and-soul_so-far-as-emma-was-concerned-she-did-not_1344015.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/gustave-flaubert-354_heart-and-soul_so-far-as-emma-was-concerned-she-did-not_1344015.jpg) > ““So far as Emma was concerned she did not ask herself whether she was in love. Love, she thought, was something that must come suddenly, with a great display of thunder and lightning, descending on one's life like a tempest from above, turning it topsy-turvy, whirling away one's resolutions like leaves and bearing one onward, heart and soul, towards the abyss. She never bethought herself how on the terrace of a house the rain forms itself into little lakes when the gutters are choked, and she was going on quite unaware of her peril, when all of a sudden she discovered--a crack in the wall!”” [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. Love is imagined as a sudden, overwhelming storm that disrupts life, but the protagonist remains unaware until a subtle crack appears. **In simple terms:** Love is seen as a dramatic, sudden event, yet reality reveals itself quietly. Key Takeaway Recognize love’s subtle signs before dramatic expectations. Themes love expectation reality self-awareness Mood melancholic reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - self-discovery - unexpected revelations - personal growth Key Concepts romantic idealism psychology of desire narrative tension Questions to Reflect On - What quiet signs of love have you ignored? - How do expectations shape your perception of love? A Different Perspective Romantic expectations can blind one to everyday signs of affection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emma Concerned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emma-concerned-4549267/) [Heart and soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-and-soul/) [Lightning Descending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning-descending-1701836/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-thought-307650/) [Peril Sudden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peril-sudden-4549268/) [Sudden Discovered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sudden-discovered-4097946/) [Thunder and lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thunder-and-lightning/) ## Related quotes > [“And look into space; you shall see Him walking in the cloud, outstretching His arms in the lightning and descending in rain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/and-look-into-space-you-shall-see-him-walking-in-the-cloud/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [“We have just all of a sudden discovered that here we are, with something called time seemingly precious, but not deeply appreciated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/we-have-just-all-of-a-sudden-discovered-that-here-we-are-with/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“He racked his brains for a way of making his declaration. Torn all the while between fear of offending and shame at his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/he-racked-his-brains-for-a-way-of-making-his-declaration-torn-all-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“He was thunder and lightning and rain, and she was the earth and flowers that drank up the storm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/he-was-thunder-and-lightning-and-rain-and-she-was-the-earth-and/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [Yup, Nicki, looks like Philly got walloped. Then again, niohtng better than a good read to curl up with. You might like my entry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit/yup-nicki-looks-like-philly-got-walloped-then-again-niohtng-better/) [Amit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit/) > [If I accept the sunshine and warmth, then I must also accept the thunder and lightning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/if-i-accept-the-sunshine-and-warmth-then-i-must-also-accept-the/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [“Religion invents a problem where none exists by describing the wicked as also made in the image of god and the sexually nonconformist as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-invents-a-problem-where-none-exists-by-describing-the-wicked/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“And the priestess spoke again and said: “Speak to us of Reason and Passion“ And he answered saying: Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gibran-khalil-gibran/and-the-priestess-spoke-again-and-said-speak-to-us-of-reason-and/) [Gibran Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gibran-khalil-gibran/) > [Lies save trouble now, but may return in thunder and lightning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/lies-save-trouble-now-but-may-return-in-thunder-and-lightning/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I spend a lot of time in L.A., and when it rains there you get the entire rainfall for the year in two days,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-in-l-a-and-when-it-rains-there-you-get-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Where I come from, Annagramma, they have the Sheepdog Trials. Shepherds travel there from all over to show off their dogs. And there're silver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/where-i-come-from-annagramma-they-have-the-sheepdog-trials-shepherds/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Religion and revolution reverberated through northern Mexico like the thunder and lightning of its wild and fierce storms. This book reveals the motivation behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-stover/religion-and-revolution-reverberated-through-northern-mexico-like-the/) [Philip Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-stover/) > [“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/if-there-is-no-struggle-there-is-no-progress-those-who-profess-to/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“He told stories to help Two Mothers overcome childish fear. "Now,my son, why do you fear the storm? It is only the warriors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-grace-whitson/he-told-stories-to-help-two-mothers-overcome-childish-fear-now-my-son/) [Stephanie Grace Whitson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-grace-whitson/) > [“The visitor from outer space made a serious study of Christianity, to learn, if he could, why Christians found it so easy to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-visitor-from-outer-space-made-a-serious-study-of-christianity-to-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## 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 and soul quotes > [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am a missionary, heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livingstone/i-am-a-missionary-heart-and-soul/) [David Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livingstone/) > [If you put everything, your heart and soul into a campaign, it might take you a while to come around to the realization that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/if-you-put-everything-your-heart-and-soul-into-a-campaign-it-might/) [Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I've tried to deny it even to myself... My heart and soul are filled with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-thacker/i-ve-tried-to-deny-it-even-to-myself-my-heart-and-soul-are-filled/) [Shelly Thacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-thacker/) > [“I'm serious, baby. The Doors are the only western rock band that really gets the heart and soul of Japan. A samurai knows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-storm/i-m-serious-baby-the-doors-are-the-only-western-rock-band-that-really/) [Carol Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-storm/) > [“Law 5: Upgrade your systems for living. Extraordinary minds consistently spend time discovering, upgrading, and measuring new systems for living applied to life, work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/law-5-upgrade-your-systems-for-living-extraordinary-minds/) [Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/) > [Dancing with death meant being committed to killing, committed with your heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/dancing-with-death-meant-being-committed-to-killing-committed-with/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [It is better to cry than to b angry , cuz anger hurt others while tears flow silently threw the soul & cleanses the heart .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/addy/it-is-better-to-cry-than-to-b-angry-cuz-anger-hurt-others-while-tears/) [Addy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/addy/) > [Peter Cooper looks at the world with an artist's eye and a human heart and soul. His songs are the work of an original,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/peter-cooper-looks-at-the-world-with-an-artist-s-eye-and-a-human/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Follow your heart, but don't leave your brain behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-van-zyl/follow-your-heart-but-don-t-leave-your-brain-behind/) [Matthew Van Zyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-van-zyl/) > [“The watching feeling is getting worse. I am not an experiment. I am not a stupid joke, or a trippy game, or an experiment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-fagan/the-watching-feeling-is-getting-worse-i-am-not-an-experiment-i-am-not/) [Jenni Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-fagan/) > [It would be fun to go back and see where all my songs stopped, because I think I'd have every number in the top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gill/it-would-be-fun-to-go-back-and-see-where-all-my-songs-stopped-because/) [Vince Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gill/) > [“He hadn’t done it for show or to please the onlookers. When he’d approached that treasured cloth of red, white, and blue waving in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gillenwater/he-hadn-t-done-it-for-show-or-to-please-the-onlookers-when-he-d/) [Sharon Gillenwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gillenwater/) [Browse all 1,226 Heart and soul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-and-soul/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“So far as Emma was concerned she did not ask herself whether she was in love. Love, she thought, was something that must come suddenly, with a great display of thunder and lightning, descending on one's life like a tempest from above, turning it topsy-turvy, whirling away one's resolutions like leaves and bearing one onward, heart and soul, towards the abyss. 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