Affliction Quote by Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
“What Anacharsis said of the vine may aptly enough be said of prosperity. She bears the three grapes of drunkenness, pleasure, and sorrow; and happy is it if the last can cure the mischief which the former work. When afflictions fail to have their due effect, the case is desperate.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: An Essay on the Nature of Prosperity, 1725
Prosperity brings pleasure and sorrow like grapes; only sorrow can fix the harm caused by pleasure, and when hardships fail, desperation follows.
In simple terms: Wealth brings both joy and pain; pain can correct excess, but unchecked hardship leads to despair.
Key Takeaway
Balance enjoyment with awareness of consequences.
Themes
wealth
pleasure
pain
balance
despair
Mood
thoughtful
philosophical
Type
historical
reflective
When to use this quote
- financial success
- celebrations
- personal setbacks
- economic crises
Key Concepts
philosophy
economics
human nature
Questions to Reflect On
- Can pain truly heal excess?
- What safeguards prevent prosperity from becoming destructive?
A Different Perspective
Sorrow may not always resolve the damage of excess.
![“May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down my face make me more radiant: may my hidden weeping bloom… How we waste our afflictions!... [T]hey're really our wintering foliage, our dark greens of meaning…” quote by Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7c7/rainer-maria-rilke-193_abode_may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and_52479.jpg)
