Communication Quote by Guy de Maupassant
““Madeleine in her turn stared at him steadily, straight into his eyes, in a profound, strange way, as if seeking to read something there, as if seeking to discover there that hidden part of a human being which can never be fathomed but may perhaps be glimpsed for a fleeting instant, in those moments of unguardedness or surrender or inattention, that are like doors left ajar onto the mysterious depths of the spirit... they stood for a few seconds, each gazing into the other's eyes, each striving to reach the impenetrable secret of the other's heart, to probe each other's thoughts to the quick. They tried, in a mute and passionate questioning, to see the other's conscience in its essential truth: the intimate struggles of two beings who, living side by side, never really know one another, who suspect and sniff around and spy on one another, but cannot plumb the miry depths of one another's soul.””
About This Quote
Source Book: La Maison Tellier (short story collection) by Guy de Maupassant, 1881
Two people attempt to understand each other's deepest inner lives through a fleeting, intense eye contact, revealing how difficult it is to truly know another person.
In simple terms: People try to grasp each other's hidden selves in a brief moment.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the limits of knowing others.
Themes
intimacy
communication
human nature
Mood
reflective
melancholic
hopeful
Type
literary
philosophical
romantic
When to use this quote
- relationship counseling
- first dates
- conflict resolution
- team building
- creative collaboration
Key Concepts
psychology
existentialism
empathy
Questions to Reflect On
- How much can we truly know another person?
- What barriers prevent deep understanding?
A Different Perspective
Even intense eye contact cannot fully reveal another's inner truth.
