---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have seen descriptions of Paradise…"
description: "\"“I have seen descriptions of Paradise sufficient to make all sensible people give up their hopes of it.”\" — Montesquieu"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/montesquieu-19593_hope_i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-suf_2048709.jpg"
---

#  I have seen descriptions of Paradise sufficient to make…

![“I have seen descriptions of Paradise sufficient to make all sensible people give up their hopes of it.” quote by Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/montesquieu-19593_hope_i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-suf_2048709.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/montesquieu-19593_hope_i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-suf_2048709.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/montesquieu-19593_hope_i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-suf_2048709.jpg)

> ““I have seen descriptions of Paradise sufficient to make all sensible people give up their hopes of it.””

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Descriptions of Paradise are so perfect they cause rational people to abandon hope.

**In simple terms:** Idealized Paradise discourages hope.

Key Takeaway

Balance idealism with realistic expectations.

Themes

philosophy hope idealism

Mood

thoughtful philosophical

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- religious debate
- literary criticism
- personal belief

Key Concepts

utopia human nature

Questions to Reflect On

- Why does perfect imagery diminish hope?
- Can hope coexist with idealism?

A Different Perspective

May overstate human rationality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Paradise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradise/)

## Related quotes

> [I have read descriptions of Paradise that would make any sensible person stop wanting to go there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-read-descriptions-of-paradise-that-would-make-any-sensible/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I want to make sensible commercial films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paresh-rawal/i-want-to-make-sensible-commercial-films/)

[Paresh Rawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paresh-rawal/)

> [There is certainly no formula of making a successful film, but there are means to make a sensible film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/there-is-certainly-no-formula-of-making-a-successful-film-but-there/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [Why does this magnificent applied science which saves work and makes life easier bring us so little happiness? ... The simple answer runs: 'Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/why-does-this-magnificent-applied-science-which-saves-work-and-makes/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [We try to make sensible decisions with the facts in front of us. The problem with sensible decisions is that so is everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/we-try-to-make-sensible-decisions-with-the-facts-in-front-of-us-the/)

[Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/)

> [When I do things with people it's not with the hopes of them coming back because that would be a selfish reason for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mic-geronimo/when-i-do-things-with-people-it-s-not-with-the-hopes-of-them-coming/)

[Mic Geronimo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mic-geronimo/)

> [This is what I know: people's hopes go on forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/this-is-what-i-know-people-s-hopes-go-on-forever/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [“As people's hopes soared, Jana felt a tinge of fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/as-people-s-hopes-soared-jana-felt-a-tinge-of-fear/)

[F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/)

> [“The future is built by people's hopes, boy! That's why I can see it so clearly! Anyway, make a wish! Open your mouth, say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakura-tsukuba/the-future-is-built-by-people-s-hopes-boy-that-s-why-i-can-see-it-so/)

[Sakura Tsukuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakura-tsukuba/)

> [Jobs that cannot be delivered must never be promised. It's unfair to raise people's hopes that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/jobs-that-cannot-be-delivered-must-never-be-promised-it-s-unfair-to/)

[Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/)

> [“As the sun lowered into the city's skyline, casting an orange glow over the islands, Jana could feel people's hopes rising.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/as-the-sun-lowered-into-the-city-s-skyline-casting-an-orange-glow/)

[F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/)

> [There is so much to be learned from listening to people's hopes, frustrations, and points of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/there-is-so-much-to-be-learned-from-listening-to-people-s-hopes/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [The purpose of thinking about the future is not to predict it but to raise people's hopes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-purpose-of-thinking-about-the-future-is-not-to-predict-it-but-to/)

[Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/)

> [People like me on the centre-left of politics have a fight on our hands. Our job is to appeal to people's hopes and aspirations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-streeting/people-like-me-on-the-centre-left-of-politics-have-a-fight-on-our/)

[Wes Streeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-streeting/)

> [We are people with all the hopes, dreams, passions, and faults of everyone else. Eighty percent of us are born into families with no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-barty/we-are-people-with-all-the-hopes-dreams-passions-and-faults-of/)

[Billy Barty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-barty/)

## More by Montesquieu

> [“Every man is capable of doing good to another, but to contribute to the happiness of an entire society is to become akin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/every-man-is-capable-of-doing-good-to-another-but-to-contribute-to/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“We are so blind that we know neither when to mourn, nor when to rejoice; our mirth and our sadness are nearly always false.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/we-are-so-blind-that-we-know-neither-when-to-mourn-nor-when-to/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“The desire for glory is no different from that instinct for preservation that is common to all creatures. It is as if we enhance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/the-desire-for-glory-is-no-different-from-that-instinct-for/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“The public revenues are a portion that each subject gives of his property, in order to secure or enjoy the remainder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/the-public-revenues-are-a-portion-that-each-subject-gives-of-his/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“The right of conquest is not a right. A society can be founded only with the consent of its members. If it is destroyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/the-right-of-conquest-is-not-a-right-a-society-can-be-founded-only/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“Nature repairs everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/nature-repairs-everything/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“One of them said to me once, “I believe in the immortality of the soul for six months at a time; my opinions depend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/one-of-them-said-to-me-once-i-believe-in-the-immortality-of-the-soul/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“History is full of religious wars; but, we must take care to observe, it was not the multiplicity of religions that produced these wars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/history-is-full-of-religious-wars-but-we-must-take-care-to-observe-it/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [ “\[92\] Plato, in his fourth book of Laws, says that the præfectures of music and gymnic exercises are the most important employments in the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/92-plato-in-his-fourth-book-of-laws-says-that-the-pr-fectures-of/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“As with their fashions, so is it with their customs and style of living: French manners change with the age of the king. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/as-with-their-fashions-so-is-it-with-their-customs-and-style-of/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“MOST legislators have been men of inferior capacity whom chance exalted over their fellows, and who took counsel almost exclusively of their own prejudices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/most-legislators-have-been-men-of-inferior-capacity-whom-chance/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“Democratic and aristocratic states are not in their own nature free. Political liberty is to be found only in moderate governments; and even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/democratic-and-aristocratic-states-are-not-in-their-own-nature-free/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“I can assure you that no kingdom has ever had as many civil wars as the kingdom of Christ.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/i-can-assure-you-that-no-kingdom-has-ever-had-as-many-civil-wars-as/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“I believe it to be true that if men were virtuous, they would have no friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/i-believe-it-to-be-true-that-if-men-were-virtuous-they-would-have-no/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

> [“My dear Usbek, when women feel, as they lose their attractiveness, that their end is coming in advance, they would like to go backwards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/my-dear-usbek-when-women-feel-as-they-lose-their-attractiveness-that/)

[Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

[Explore all 23 Montesquieu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/)

## More Hope quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/)

[Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/)

> [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/)

[Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/)

> [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/)

[Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/)

[Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/)

> [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/)

[Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/)

> [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/)

Simone Abou Samra

> [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/)

Im Nothing

> [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

[Browse all 24,868 Hope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I have seen descriptions of Paradise sufficient to make all sensible people give up their hopes of it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Montesquieu"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-sufficient-to-make-all-sensible/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hope"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-sufficient-to-make-all-sensible/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/montesquieu-19593_hope_i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-suf_2048709.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/montesquieu-19593_hope_i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-suf_2048709.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/montesquieu-19593_hope_i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-suf_2048709.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have seen descriptions of Paradise sufficient to make all sensible people give up their hopes of it.” — Montesquieu",
                "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": "Montesquieu",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montesquieu/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I have seen descriptions of Paradise...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-sufficient-to-make-all-sensible/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montesquieu/i-have-seen-descriptions-of-paradise-sufficient-to-make-all-sensible/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
