--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The better a work is, the more it…" description: "\"The better a work is, the more it attracts criticism; it is like the fleas who rush to jump on white linens.\" — Gustave Flaubert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/gustave-flaubert-354_criticism_the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attract_2949323.jpg" --- # The better a work is, the more it attracts criticism; it… ![“The better a work is, the more it attracts criticism; it is like the fleas who rush to jump on white linens.” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/gustave-flaubert-354_criticism_the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attract_2949323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/gustave-flaubert-354_criticism_the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attract_2949323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/gustave-flaubert-354_criticism_the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attract_2949323.jpg) > “The better a work is, the more it attracts criticism; it is like the fleas who rush to jump on white linens.” [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. Great works attract criticism, like fleas drawn to clean linens. **In simple terms:** Success invites scrutiny and envy. Key Takeaway Accept criticism as part of excellence. Themes art criticism success envy Mood reflective serious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - book reviews - art exhibitions - public debates Key Concepts aesthetic theory social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How to distinguish useful feedback? - When does criticism become harassment? A Different Perspective Criticism can be destructive, not constructive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attracts Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attracts-criticism-4437982/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Criticism Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism-like-1526691/) [Fleas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleas/) [Fleas Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleas-rush-4437983/) [Like Fleas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-fleas-421290/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) ## Related quotes > [Thoughts, like fleas, jump from man to man. But they don't bite everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/thoughts-like-fleas-jump-from-man-to-man-but-they-don-t-bite-everybody/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) > [“Standing before him, the blight of idyllic thought and aspiration--rotting souls reproducing like fleas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-krisch/standing-before-him-the-blight-of-idyllic-thought-and-aspiration/) [Glen Krisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-krisch/) > [“To feel someone’s life drain from their body by your hands . . . bad, bad people who need to be plucked from this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/to-feel-someone-s-life-drain-from-their-body-by-your-hands-bad-bad/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“Imagine that the country is like a dog. The terrorist attacks are like fleas biting the dog, but what the terrorists are really after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-carlin/imagine-that-the-country-is-like-a-dog-the-terrorist-attacks-are-like/) [Dan Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-carlin/) > [Criticism is like champagne, nothing more execrable if bad, nothing more excellent if good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/criticism-is-like-champagne-nothing-more-execrable-if-bad-nothing/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Asking a writer what he thinks about criticism is like asking a lamppost what it feels about dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-osborne/asking-a-writer-what-he-thinks-about-criticism-is-like-asking-a/) [John Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-osborne/) > [Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-a-clark/criticism-like-rain-should-be-gentle-enough-to-nourish-a-man-s-growth/) [Frank A. Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-a-clark/) > [“Criticism, like swearing, is actually nothing more than a bad habit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carlson/criticism-like-swearing-is-actually-nothing-more-than-a-bad-habit/) [Richard Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carlson/) > [Criticism is like many other things, it drags along after what has already been said and doesn't get out of its rut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/criticism-is-like-many-other-things-it-drags-along-after-what-has/) [Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/) > [“once heard someone say that criticism is like a nut surrounded by a hard shell. The hard shell represents a projected experience from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-guillebeau/once-heard-someone-say-that-criticism-is-like-a-nut-surrounded-by-a/) [Chris Guillebeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-guillebeau/) > [“Philosophy without criticism is like hunting deer without a shotgun, so, if you want people to like you, avoid robust philosophical debate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/philosophy-without-criticism-is-like-hunting-deer-without-a-shotgun/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“Chances are like criticism; few like to take it, some love to give it, yet most never see it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-henegan/chances-are-like-criticism-few-like-to-take-it-some-love-to-give-it/) [Carl Henegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-henegan/) > [Criticism is like medicine. It’s poison unless carefully administered at the right dose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hyatt/criticism-is-like-medicine-it-s-poison-unless-carefully-administered/) [Michael Hyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hyatt/) > [To many people, dramatic criticism must seem like an attempt to tattoo soap bubbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/to-many-people-dramatic-criticism-must-seem-like-an-attempt-to-tattoo/) [John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/) > [As a songwriter, it's good to have criticism, and I like objective opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gourley/as-a-songwriter-it-s-good-to-have-criticism-and-i-like-objective/) [John Gourley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gourley/) ## 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 Criticism quotes > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [I don't mind positive criticism, but when it is negative and personal, it is quite hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inzamam-ul-haq/i-don-t-mind-positive-criticism-but-when-it-is-negative-and-personal/) [Inzamam-ul-Haq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inzamam-ul-haq/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Lots of relationships fail because we spend more time pointing out each other's mistakes and not enough time enjoying each other's company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lots-of-relationships-fail-because-we-spend-more-time-pointing-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [People believe that criticism should be objective, whatever that means, but I really don't understand what people mean by that. I guess if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/people-believe-that-criticism-should-be-objective-whatever-that-means/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [I welcome criticism. I come from a - I wouldn't say mean, but you've got to have tough skin to be in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saweetie/i-welcome-criticism-i-come-from-a-i-wouldn-t-say-mean-but-you-ve-got/) [Saweetie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saweetie/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Browse all 3,954 Criticism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The better a work is, the more it attracts criticism; it is like the fleas who rush to jump on white linens.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gustave Flaubert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attracts-criticism-it-is-like-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Criticism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attracts-criticism-it-is-like-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/gustave-flaubert-354_criticism_the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attract_2949323.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/gustave-flaubert-354_criticism_the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attract_2949323.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/gustave-flaubert-354_criticism_the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attract_2949323.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The better a work is, the more it attracts criticism; it is like the fleas who rush to jump on white linens.” — 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": "The better a work is, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attracts-criticism-it-is-like-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-better-a-work-is-the-more-it-attracts-criticism-it-is-like-the/#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 } } ] } ```