--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sensual excess drives out pity in man." description: "\"Sensual excess drives out pity in man.\" — Marquis de Sade" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/marquis-de-sade-1964_excess_sensual-excess-drives-out-pity-in-man-28_2826256.jpg" --- # Sensual excess drives out pity in man. ![“Sensual excess drives out pity in man.” quote by Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/marquis-de-sade-1964_excess_sensual-excess-drives-out-pity-in-man-28_2826256.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/marquis-de-sade-1964_excess_sensual-excess-drives-out-pity-in-man-28_2826256.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/marquis-de-sade-1964_excess_sensual-excess-drives-out-pity-in-man-28_2826256.jpg) > “Sensual excess drives out pity in man.” [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excessive sensual indulgence erodes compassion and empathy in humanity. **In simple terms:** Sensual excess dulls pity. Key Takeaway Balance desire with empathy. Themes ethics desire humanity Mood philosophical critical Type literary ethical When to use this quote - personal relationships - artistic expression - psychology Key Concepts moral decay emotional numbness pleasure vs compassion Questions to Reflect On - Can desire coexist with kindness? - What limits prevent moral erosion? A Different Perspective Not all sensuality leads to cruelty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excess/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Sensual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensual/) ## Related quotes > [but very little achievement is required in order to pity another man's shortcomings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-very-little-achievement-is-required-in-order-to-pity-another-man/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I pity the man who can travel from Dan to Beersheba, and cry, 'Tis all barren--and so it is; and so is all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/i-pity-the-man-who-can-travel-from-dan-to-beersheba-and-cry-tis-all/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth will starve in the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-harrison/i-pity-the-man-who-wants-a-coat-so-cheap-that-the-man-or-woman-who/) [Benjamin Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-harrison/) > [“Daniel had one more question. He hated asking it, but her answer would be exceedingly important to him. The knot in his throat had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-bailey/daniel-had-one-more-question-he-hated-asking-it-but-her-answer-would/) [Tessa Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-bailey/) > [I don't pity any man who does hard work worth doing. I admire him. I pity the creature who does not work, at whichever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/i-don-t-pity-any-man-who-does-hard-work-worth-doing-i-admire-him-i/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [It is noble to pity a man who is cruel because he is weak, but it is idiotic and dangerous to allow him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-horsley/it-is-noble-to-pity-a-man-who-is-cruel-because-he-is-weak-but-it-is/) [Kate Horsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-horsley/) > [Pity the man who has a favorite restaurant, but not a favorite author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/pity-the-man-who-has-a-favorite-restaurant-but-not-a-favorite-author/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [God pity the man of science who believes in nothing but what he can prove by scientific methods; for if ever a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/god-pity-the-man-of-science-who-believes-in-nothing-but-what-he-can/) [J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/) > [“I pity the man who can travel from Dan to Beersheba, and cry, ‘Tis all barren—and so it is; and so is all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/i-pity-the-man-who-can-travel-from-dan-to-beersheba-and-cry-tis-all-2/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [If a man is tongue-tied, don't laugh at him, but, rather, feel pity for him, as you would for a man with broken legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-cahan/if-a-man-is-tongue-tied-don-t-laugh-at-him-but-rather-feel-pity-for/) [Abraham Cahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-cahan/) > [Pity the man who has a character to support - it is worse than a large family - he is silent poor indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/pity-the-man-who-has-a-character-to-support-it-is-worse-than-a-large/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I have always had a slight feeling of pity for man who has no knowledge of chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/i-have-always-had-a-slight-feeling-of-pity-for-man-who-has-no/) [Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/) > [There is no pity for a man who moans about living in one town and does not move to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/there-is-no-pity-for-a-man-who-moans-about-living-in-one-town-and/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [“People are wrong when they think that an unemployed man only worries about losing his wages; on the contrary, an illiterate man, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/people-are-wrong-when-they-think-that-an-unemployed-man-only-worries/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Our lives are awkward and fragile and we have only one thing to keep us sane: pity, and the man without pity is mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/our-lives-are-awkward-and-fragile-and-we-have-only-one-thing-to-keep/) [Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/) ## More by Marquis de Sade > [What you call disorder is nothing else than one of the laws of the order you comprehend not and which you have erroneously named…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/what-you-call-disorder-is-nothing-else-than-one-of-the-laws-of-the/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [And if I were a naughty little boy, the idea is to spank me into good behavior?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/and-if-i-were-a-naughty-little-boy-the-idea-is-to-spank-me-into-good/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [There is a kind of pleasure which comes from sacrilege or the profanation of the objects offered us for worship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/there-is-a-kind-of-pleasure-which-comes-from-sacrilege-or-the/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [“To enlighten mankind and improve its morals is the only lesson which we offer in this story. In reading it, may the world discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/to-enlighten-mankind-and-improve-its-morals-is-the-only-lesson-which/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [What we are doing here is only the image of what we would like to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/what-we-are-doing-here-is-only-the-image-of-what-we-would-like-to-do/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [Happiness lies neither in vice nor in virtue; but in the manner we appreciate the one and the other, and the choice we make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/happiness-lies-neither-in-vice-nor-in-virtue-but-in-the-manner-we/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [What does one want when one is engaged in the sexual act? That everything around you give you its utter attention, think only of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/what-does-one-want-when-one-is-engaged-in-the-sexual-act-that/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [ The law which attempts a man's life \[capital punishment\] is impractical, unjust, inadmissible. It has never repressed crime--for a second crime is every day… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/the-law-which-attempts-a-man-s-life-capital-punishment-is-impractical/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [Between understanding and faith immediate connections must subsist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/between-understanding-and-faith-immediate-connections-must-subsist/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [My passions, concentrated on a single point, resemble the rays of a sun assembled by a magnifying glass: they immediately set fire to whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/my-passions-concentrated-on-a-single-point-resemble-the-rays-of-a-sun/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [The idea of God is the sole wrong for which I cannot forgive mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/the-idea-of-god-is-the-sole-wrong-for-which-i-cannot-forgive-mankind/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [Imperious, choleric, irascible, extreme in everything, with a dissolute imagination the like of which has never been seen, atheistic to the point of fanaticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/imperious-choleric-irascible-extreme-in-everything-with-a-dissolute/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [Lust's passion will be served; it demands, it militates, it tyrannizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/lust-s-passion-will-be-served-it-demands-it-militates-it-tyrannizes/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [“In order to know virtue, we must acquaint ourselves with vice. Only then can we know the true measure of a man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/in-order-to-know-virtue-we-must-acquaint-ourselves-with-vice-only/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [Never may an act of possession be exercised upon a free being; the exclusive possession of a woman is no less unjust than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/never-may-an-act-of-possession-be-exercised-upon-a-free-being-the/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) [Explore all 181 Marquis de Sade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) ## More Excess quotes > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [A too closely watched flower/blossoms the wrong color./Excess attention to the jonquil/turns it gentian. Flowers/need it tranquil to get/their hues right. Some/only open at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ryan/a-too-closely-watched-flower-blossoms-the-wrong-color-excess/) [Kay Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ryan/) > [This isn't a picture filled with wonder and a sense of fun; it's so jaded and crass that I almost wonder if it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-zacharek/this-isn-t-a-picture-filled-with-wonder-and-a-sense-of-fun-it-s-so/) [Stephanie Zacharek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-zacharek/) > [Enjoy the necessities of life but eschew the excesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gardner/enjoy-the-necessities-of-life-but-eschew-the-excesses/) [Ian Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gardner/) > [Most of us try to do too much because we are secretly afraid we will not be able to do anything at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-aster/most-of-us-try-to-do-too-much-because-we-are-secretly-afraid-we-will/) Rick Aster > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [All excess is ill; but drunkenness is of the worst sort. It spoils health, dismounts the mind, and unmans men. It reveals secrets, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/all-excess-is-ill-but-drunkenness-is-of-the-worst-sort-it-spoils/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [“The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory. He’s got esprit up to here. Right now, he is preparing to carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-deliverator-belongs-to-an-elite-order-a-hallowed-subcategory-he-s/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [Well, as you know, we're working through a difficult period in our financial markets right now as we work off some of the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/well-as-you-know-we-re-working-through-a-difficult-period-in-our/) [Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/) > [The saints differ from us in their exuberance, the excess of our human talents. Moderation is not their secret. 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