--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So long as there is gold underneath, who…" description: "\"“So long as there is gold underneath, who cares about the dust on top? Literature! That old whore! We must try to dose her with mercury and pills and c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/gustave-flaubert-354_books_so-long-as-there-is-gold-underneath-who_1468517.jpg" --- # So long as there is gold underneath, who cares about the… ![“So long as there is gold underneath, who cares about the dust on top? Literature! That old whore! We must try to dose her with mercury and pills and clean her out from top to bottom, she has been so ultra-screwed by filthy pricks!” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/gustave-flaubert-354_books_so-long-as-there-is-gold-underneath-who_1468517.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/gustave-flaubert-354_books_so-long-as-there-is-gold-underneath-who_1468517.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/gustave-flaubert-354_books_so-long-as-there-is-gold-underneath-who_1468517.jpg) > ““So long as there is gold underneath, who cares about the dust on top? Literature! That old whore! We must try to dose her with mercury and pills and clean her out from top to bottom, she has been so ultra-screwed by filthy pricks!”” [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 quote expresses contempt for superficial literary criticism, urging radical reform of literature's corrupt state. **In simple terms:** Criticizes shallow criticism, calls for drastic cleansing of literature. Key Takeaway Challenge complacent literary standards. Themes literature criticism reform corruption radicalism Mood cynical defiant provocative Type satirical controversial When to use this quote - academic conferences - editorial meetings - publishing houses - creative workshops Key Concepts censorship purification cultural decay Questions to Reflect On - How can literature be revitalized without destructive tactics? - What alternatives exist to “clean” cultural works? A Different Perspective The metaphor may be overly aggressive, alienating constructive dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Filthy Pricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filthy-pricks-5322381/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Old Whore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-whore-328857/) [Screwed Filthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screwed-filthy-5322380/) [Whore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whore/) [Whore Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whore-try-2523397/) ## Related quotes > [Cheating myself still you know more. It would be so easy with a whore. Try to understand me little girl. My twisted passion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-in-chains/cheating-myself-still-you-know-more-it-would-be-so-easy-with-a-whore/) [Alice In Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-in-chains/) > [“Death is like an old whore in a bar--I'll buy her a drink but I won't go upstairs with her”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/death-is-like-an-old-whore-in-a-bar-i-ll-buy-her-a-drink-but-i-won-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“It smells like old whore in here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/it-smells-like-old-whore-in-here/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [“Polly Hall was thirteen but wore enough makeup to rival a 40-year-old whore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/polly-hall-was-thirteen-but-wore-enough-makeup-to-rival-a-40-year-old/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“Nothing is sadder than an old whore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bowes/nothing-is-sadder-than-an-old-whore/) [Richard Bowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bowes/) > [Cinema is an old whore, like circus and variety, who knows how to give many kinds of pleasure. Besides, you can't teach old fleas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/cinema-is-an-old-whore-like-circus-and-variety-who-knows-how-to-give/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [Death is like a old whore in a bar---i''ll buy her a drink but wont go upstairs with her](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shubham-joshi/death-is-like-a-old-whore-in-a-bar-i-ll-buy-her-a-drink-but-wont-go/) [Shubham Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shubham-joshi/) > [“The novel, he was saying, was a flabby old whore. A flabby old whore! the older man said looking delighted. She was serviceable, roomy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/the-novel-he-was-saying-was-a-flabby-old-whore-a-flabby-old-whore-the/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“Young people dislike and even fail to understand our slang; my gay students ask me what “tricking” means. It’s all old whore’s slang, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/young-people-dislike-and-even-fail-to-understand-our-slang-my-gay/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“Still. It’s not all red. I’m not a total whore. Just a partial one. Just a splash of whore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-mckenna/still-it-s-not-all-red-i-m-not-a-total-whore-just-a-partial-one-just/) [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) > [“Called her a whore and attacked her walls, tearing down her posters and throwing her books everywhere. I found out because some whitegirl ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/called-her-a-whore-and-attacked-her-walls-tearing-down-her-posters/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“My mother was a whore”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-cole/my-mother-was-a-whore/) [Mariah Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-cole/) > [“I'm naming my son just what he is. I'm a whore and he is my son. If he grows up ashamed of me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-goines/i-m-naming-my-son-just-what-he-is-i-m-a-whore-and-he-is-my-son-if-he/) [Donald Goines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-goines/) > [“I hope your dick gets whore poisoning and shrivels to its death! And then I hope all the girls see it and laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mclean/i-hope-your-dick-gets-whore-poisoning-and-shrivels-to-its-death-and/) [Jay McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mclean/) > [A women needs to be a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-hall/a-women-needs-to-be-a-cook-in-the-kitchen-and-a-whore-in-the-bedroom/) [Jerry Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-hall/) ## 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 Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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