--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a house can be only be built…" description: "\"“As a house can be only be built satisfactorily and durably when there is a foundation, and a picture can be painted only when there is something prepa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/leo-tolstoy-55_carnal_as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfac_2591267.png" --- # As a house can be only be built satisfactorily and durably… ![“As a house can be only be built satisfactorily and durably when there is a foundation, and a picture can be painted only when there is something prepared to paint it on, so carnal love is only legitimate, reasonable, and lasting when it is based on the respect and love of one human being for…” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/leo-tolstoy-55_carnal_as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfac_2591267.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/leo-tolstoy-55_carnal_as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfac_2591267.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/leo-tolstoy-55_carnal_as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfac_2591267.png) > ““As a house can be only be built satisfactorily and durably when there is a foundation, and a picture can be painted only when there is something prepared to paint it on, so carnal love is only legitimate, reasonable, and lasting when it is based on the respect and love of one human being for another.”” [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love that rests on mutual respect and deep human connection is durable, while superficial desire lacks lasting foundation. **In simple terms:** Respectful love endures; shallow love fades. Key Takeaway Cultivate respect to sustain relationships. Themes love respect relationships human connection Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - marriage - friendship - teamwork - conflict resolution Key Concepts ethical love mutual respect lasting bonds Questions to Reflect On - What does respect look like in daily interactions? - Can love thrive without physical attraction? A Different Perspective Respect alone may not guarantee passion or compatibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carnal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carnal/) [Carnal Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carnal-love-572665/) [Christian living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-living/) [Christian marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-marriage/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Legitimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-legitimate-1862581/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Paint Carnal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-carnal-1862580/) [Respect And Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-and-love/) [Respect Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-love-328270/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) ## Related quotes > [Yes, they are carnal, both of them, love and death, and therein lies their terror and their great magic!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/yes-they-are-carnal-both-of-them-love-and-death-and-therein-lies/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [What Tolstoy is on about is that carnal love is not a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/what-tolstoy-is-on-about-is-that-carnal-love-is-not-a-good-idea/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“Love doesn't disappear when you give it away, and new love doesn't make old love any less legitimate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-murphy/love-doesn-t-disappear-when-you-give-it-away-and-new-love-doesn-t/) [Julie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-murphy/) > [“Love has the legitimate right to overrule lower instincts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/love-has-the-legitimate-right-to-overrule-lower-instincts/) [sir kristian goldmund aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/) > [My God, Sweetness beyond words, make bitter all the carnal comfort that draws me from love of the eternal and lures me to its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/my-god-sweetness-beyond-words-make-bitter-all-the-carnal-comfort-that/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [You will not easily get a man to believe that his carnal love for the woman he has made his wife is as high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-not-easily-get-a-man-to-believe-that-his-carnal-love-for-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Carnal love in all its forms, from the highest — true marriage or platonic love — to the most base, down to debauchery, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/carnal-love-in-all-its-forms-from-the-highest-true-marriage-or/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [There is no such thing as a continuously carnal Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-washer/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-continuously-carnal-christian/) [Paul Washer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-washer/) > [He wasn't just masculine and sexual, he was carnal in a set-your-teeth-on-edge kind of way; he was almost frightning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/he-wasn-t-just-masculine-and-sexual-he-was-carnal-in-a-set-your-teeth/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Me livro em livro, de toda carcaça carnal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filipe-russo/me-livro-em-livro-de-toda-carca-a-carnal/) [Filipe Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filipe-russo/) > [I have lived a carnal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kinison/i-have-lived-a-carnal-life/) [Sam Kinison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kinison/) > [“Was it a moment of indecision or was it a moment of redemption. Redemption long overdue and long unacknowledged? They didn’t know. He suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-pande/was-it-a-moment-of-indecision-or-was-it-a-moment-of-redemption/) [Vinod Pande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-pande/) > [Get rid of this bunkum about the 'carnal Christian'. Forget it! If you're carnal, you're not saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/get-rid-of-this-bunkum-about-the-carnal-christian-forget-it-if-you-re/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [“Sex doesn't satisfy for a lifetime, the more you have it, the more you want it. And the more you have it, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/sex-doesn-t-satisfy-for-a-lifetime-the-more-you-have-it-the-more-you/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) ## More by Leo Tolstoy > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“If you only knew what those society women are, and women in general! My father is right. Selfish, vain, stupid, trivial in everything—that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-you-only-knew-what-those-society-women-are-and-women-in-general-my/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To speak of it would be giving importance to that which has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-speak-of-it-would-be-giving-importance-to-that-which-has-none/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/once-we-re-thrown-off-our-habitual-paths-we-think-all-is-lost-but-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He knew she was there by the rapture and the terror that seized on his heart. She was standing talking to a lady at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-knew-she-was-there-by-the-rapture-and-the-terror-that-seized-on/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/rest-nature-books-music-such-is-my-idea-of-happiness/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He was not to blame for being born with an irrepressible charachter and a mind some how constrained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-was-not-to-blame-for-being-born-with-an-irrepressible-charachter/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I ask one thing only: I ask for the right to hope, to suffer as I do. But if even that cannot be, command…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-ask-one-thing-only-i-ask-for-the-right-to-hope-to-suffer-as-i-do/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The idea shared by many that life is a vale of tears is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-idea-shared-by-many-that-life-is-a-vale-of-tears-is-just-as-false/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-say-that-a-work-of-art-is-good-but-incomprehensible-to-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [True life is lived when tiny changes occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/true-life-is-lived-when-tiny-changes-occur/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Explore all 1,754 Leo Tolstoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## More Carnal quotes > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Sex doesn't satisfy for a lifetime, the more you have it, the more you want it. And the more you have it, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/sex-doesn-t-satisfy-for-a-lifetime-the-more-you-have-it-the-more-you/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Get rid of this bunkum about the 'carnal Christian'. Forget it! If you're carnal, you're not saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/get-rid-of-this-bunkum-about-the-carnal-christian-forget-it-if-you-re/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [“Was it a moment of indecision or was it a moment of redemption. Redemption long overdue and long unacknowledged? They didn’t know. He suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-pande/was-it-a-moment-of-indecision-or-was-it-a-moment-of-redemption/) [Vinod Pande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-pande/) > [I have lived a carnal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kinison/i-have-lived-a-carnal-life/) [Sam Kinison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kinison/) > [“Me livro em livro, de toda carcaça carnal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filipe-russo/me-livro-em-livro-de-toda-carca-a-carnal/) [Filipe Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filipe-russo/) > [He wasn't just masculine and sexual, he was carnal in a set-your-teeth-on-edge kind of way; he was almost frightning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/he-wasn-t-just-masculine-and-sexual-he-was-carnal-in-a-set-your-teeth/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [There is no such thing as a continuously carnal Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-washer/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-continuously-carnal-christian/) [Paul Washer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-washer/) > [“...as we are endowed. ...with rhetorics. ...none will deny. ...of innocence. ...towards scribbling. ...of love lines. ...and of lust. ...to what seems like male.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/as-we-are-endowed-with-rhetorics-none-will-deny-of-innocence-towards/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [The hermit's carnal ecstasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wystan-hugh-auden/the-hermit-s-carnal-ecstasy/) [Wystan Hugh Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wystan-hugh-auden/) > [What Tolstoy is on about is that carnal love is not a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/what-tolstoy-is-on-about-is-that-carnal-love-is-not-a-good-idea/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Barrons had just given me the most carnal, sexually charged hungry look I'd ever seen in my life, and I was pretty sure he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/barrons-had-just-given-me-the-most-carnal-sexually-charged-hungry/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Carnal knowledge is as forgettable as the other kinds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/carnal-knowledge-is-as-forgettable-as-the-other-kinds/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-david/the-fool-hath-said-in-his-heart-there-is-no-god-they-are-corrupt-they/) [King David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-david/) > [“It is a great evil to look upon mankind with too clear vision. You seem to be living among wild beasts, and you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-beckford/it-is-a-great-evil-to-look-upon-mankind-with-too-clear-vision-you/) [William Beckford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-beckford/) [Browse all 36 Carnal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carnal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As a house can be only be built satisfactorily and durably when there is a foundation, and a picture can be painted only when there is something prepared to paint it on, so carnal love is only legitimate, reasonable, and lasting when it is based on the respect and love of one human being for another.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leo Tolstoy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfactorily-and-durably-when-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Carnal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfactorily-and-durably-when-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/leo-tolstoy-55_carnal_as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfac_2591267.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/leo-tolstoy-55_carnal_as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfac_2591267.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/leo-tolstoy-55_carnal_as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfac_2591267.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a house can be only be built satisfactorily and durably when there is a foundation, and a picture can be…” — Leo Tolstoy", "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": "Leo Tolstoy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As a house can be only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfactorily-and-durably-when-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/as-a-house-can-be-only-be-built-satisfactorily-and-durably-when-there/#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 } } ] } ```