--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is only one tragedy in the end, not…" description: "\"There is only one tragedy in the end, not to have been a saint.\" — Leon Bloy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/l-on-bloy-28941_catholic_there-is-only-one-tragedy-in-the-end-not_2378592.jpg" --- # There is only one tragedy in the end, not to have been a… ![“There is only one tragedy in the end, not to have been a saint.” quote by Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/l-on-bloy-28941_catholic_there-is-only-one-tragedy-in-the-end-not_2378592.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/l-on-bloy-28941_catholic_there-is-only-one-tragedy-in-the-end-not_2378592.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/l-on-bloy-28941_catholic_there-is-only-one-tragedy-in-the-end-not_2378592.jpg) > “There is only one tragedy in the end, not to have been a saint.” [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Failing to strive for saintliness is the greatest tragedy. **In simple terms:** Not being saintly is tragic. Key Takeaway Pursue moral excellence. Themes morality spirituality tragedy Mood contemplative serious Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - volunteering - ethical decision making - spiritual practice - personal development Key Concepts existentialism ethical aspiration religious devotion Questions to Reflect On - What does being a “saint” mean to you? - Can ordinary virtue be enough? A Different Perspective Not all can achieve saintly ideals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Christian inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-inspirational/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saint/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) ## Related quotes > [If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. 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suffering has to enter in for them to come to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/there-are-places-in-the-heart-that-do-not-yet-exist-suffering-has-to/) [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [Suffering passes, but the fact of having suffered never passes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/suffering-passes-but-the-fact-of-having-suffered-never-passes/) [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [I pray like a robber asking alms at the door of a farmhouse to which he is ready to set fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/i-pray-like-a-robber-asking-alms-at-the-door-of-a-farmhouse-to-which/) [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [Man has places in his heart which do not yet exist, and into them enters suffering, in order that they may have existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/man-has-places-in-his-heart-which-do-not-yet-exist-and-into-them/) [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [“Chance is the modern word for Holy Spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/chance-is-the-modern-word-for-holy-spirit/) [Léon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [Love does not make you weak, because it is the source of all strength, but it makes you see the nothingness of the illusory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/love-does-not-make-you-weak-because-it-is-the-source-of-all-strength/) [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [Any Christian who is not a hero is a pig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/any-christian-who-is-not-a-hero-is-a-pig/) [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [“I shall become as complete a stranger as the unknown drama sleeping in the limbo of a novelist’s imagination”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/i-shall-become-as-complete-a-stranger-as-the-unknown-drama-sleeping/) [Léon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [“The worst evil is not to commit crimes, but to fail to do the good one might have done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/the-worst-evil-is-not-to-commit-crimes-but-to-fail-to-do-the-good-one/) [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/the-only-real-sadness-the-only-real-failure-the-only-great-tragedy-in-2/) [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [“One had, in any case, a bag full of fruits that resemble stars, picked by the handful in the luminous forest ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/one-had-in-any-case-a-bag-full-of-fruits-that-resemble-stars-picked/) [Léon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) [Explore all 12 Leon Bloy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) ## More Catholic quotes > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. 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