--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Affection, like melancholy, magnifies…" description: "\"Affection, like melancholy, magnifies trifles; but the magnifying of the one is like looking through a telescope at heavenly objects; that of the other..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/168/leigh-hunt-4374_affection_affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trif_314771.jpg" --- # Affection, like melancholy, magnifies trifles; but the… ![“Affection, like melancholy, magnifies trifles; but the magnifying of the one is like looking through a telescope at heavenly objects; that of the other, like enlarging monsters with a microscope.” quote by Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/168/leigh-hunt-4374_affection_affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trif_314771.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/168/leigh-hunt-4374_affection_affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trif_314771.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/168/leigh-hunt-4374_affection_affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trif_314771.jpg) > “Affection, like melancholy, magnifies trifles; but the magnifying of the one is like looking through a telescope at heavenly objects; that of the other, like enlarging monsters with a microscope.” [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Affection can make small things seem huge, like a telescope shows stars, while melancholy turns the mind into a microscope that magnifies monsters. **In simple terms:** Love makes small things seem big; sadness makes big things seem scary. Key Takeaway Balance emotion to see reality clearly. Themes emotion perception contrast Mood introspective poetic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - relationships - mental health - creative writing - philosophical reflection Key Concepts cognitive distortion emotional amplification Questions to Reflect On - How does love change your view of problems? - When does sadness distort reality? A Different Perspective Excessive affection can blind judgment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Heavenly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavenly/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melancholy/) [Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters/) [Telescopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telescopes/) [Trifles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trifles/) ## Related quotes > [Affection, like melancholy, magnifies trifles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trifles/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Now individual consciousness, as typified in human beings, has great advantages and great disadvantages. Individuality means a narrowing, and narrowness can be useful. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/now-individual-consciousness-as-typified-in-human-beings-has-great/) [Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/) > [Invite the Sacred to participate in your joy in little things, as well as in your agony over the great ones. There are as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-o-howell/invite-the-sacred-to-participate-in-your-joy-in-little-things-as-well/) [Alice O. Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-o-howell/) > [All corporatism – even when practised in societies where hard work, enterprise and cooperation are as highly valued as in Korea – encourages inflexibility,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/all-corporatism-even-when-practised-in-societies-where-hard-work/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Without goals our efforts may be scattered and unproductive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/without-goals-our-efforts-may-be-scattered-and-unproductive/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Don't waste even a minute magnifying your perceived inadequacies. You can't do it all. Why berate yourself for not achieving the impossible?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-finerman/don-t-waste-even-a-minute-magnifying-your-perceived-inadequacies-you/) [Karen Finerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-finerman/) > [Worry is spiritual nearsightedness, a fumbling way of looking at little things, and of magnifying their value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-robertson-brown-lindsay/worry-is-spiritual-nearsightedness-a-fumbling-way-of-looking-at/) [Anna Robertson Brown Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-robertson-brown-lindsay/) > [“One magnifying glass and one moonlit night is not enough to light her ant-like heart on fire. 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Cleo had this big magnifying glass on his desk, and we'd find centipedes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/albert-and-i-would-spend-hours-and-hours-looking-at-them-cleo-had/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [The presidency is a huge echo chamber magnifying every little thing he does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hess/the-presidency-is-a-huge-echo-chamber-magnifying-every-little-thing/) Stephen Hess > [A ship's engine far away on the water expands the summer-night horizon. Both joy and sorrow swell in the dew's magnifying glass. Without really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-transtromer/a-ship-s-engine-far-away-on-the-water-expands-the-summer-night/) [Tomas Transtromer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-transtromer/) > [“In quixotically trying to conquer death doctors all too frequently do no good for their patients’ “ease” but at the same time they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kevorkian/in-quixotically-trying-to-conquer-death-doctors-all-too-frequently-do/) [Jack Kevorkian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kevorkian/) > [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) ## More by Leigh Hunt > [Oh for a seat in some poetic nook, Just hid with trees and sparkling with a brook!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/oh-for-a-seat-in-some-poetic-nook-just-hid-with-trees-and-sparkling/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [The most tangible of all visible mysteries - fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/the-most-tangible-of-all-visible-mysteries-fire/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Jenny kissed me when we met, Jumping from the chair she sat in; Time, you thief, who love to get Sweets into your list,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/jenny-kissed-me-when-we-met-jumping-from-the-chair-she-sat-in-time/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [With spots of sunny openings, and with nooks To lie and read in, sloping into brooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/with-spots-of-sunny-openings-and-with-nooks-to-lie-and-read-in/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Light is, perhaps, the most wonderful of all visible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/light-is-perhaps-the-most-wonderful-of-all-visible-things/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Stolen kisses are always sweetest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/stolen-kisses-are-always-sweetest/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [We are violets blue, For our sweetness found Careless in the mossy shades, Looking on the ground. Love's dropp'd eyelids and a kiss,-- Such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/we-are-violets-blue-for-our-sweetness-found-careless-in-the-mossy/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [If you are melancholy for the first time, you will find, upon a little inquiry, that others have been melancholy many times, and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/if-you-are-melancholy-for-the-first-time-you-will-find-upon-a-little/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [The person who can be only serious or only cheerful, is but half a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/the-person-who-can-be-only-serious-or-only-cheerful-is-but-half-a-man/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Write me as one who loves his fellow men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/write-me-as-one-who-loves-his-fellow-men/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Danger for danger's sake is senseless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/danger-for-danger-s-sake-is-senseless/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [The only place a new hat can be carried into with safety is a church, for there is plenty of room there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/the-only-place-a-new-hat-can-be-carried-into-with-safety-is-a-church/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [There seems a life in hair, though it be dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/there-seems-a-life-in-hair-though-it-be-dead/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [Happy opinions are the wine of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/happy-opinions-are-the-wine-of-the-heart/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [If you ever have to support a flagging conversation, introduce the topic of eating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/if-you-ever-have-to-support-a-flagging-conversation-introduce-the/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) [Explore all 112 Leigh Hunt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) ## More Affection quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Affection, like melancholy, magnifies trifles; but the magnifying of the one is like looking through a telescope at heavenly objects; that of the other, like enlarging monsters with a microscope.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leigh Hunt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trifles-but-the-magnifying-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affection" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trifles-but-the-magnifying-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/168/leigh-hunt-4374_affection_affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trif_314771.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/168/leigh-hunt-4374_affection_affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trif_314771.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/168/leigh-hunt-4374_affection_affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trif_314771.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Affection, like melancholy, magnifies trifles; but the magnifying of the one is like looking through a…” — Leigh Hunt", "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": "Leigh Hunt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Affection, like melancholy, magnifies trifles; but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trifles-but-the-magnifying-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/affection-like-melancholy-magnifies-trifles-but-the-magnifying-of-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 } } ] } ```