--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is true, Monsieur,\" Raoule went on…" description: "\"It is true, Monsieur,\" Raoule went on, shrugging her shoulders, \"that I have had lovers in my life as I have books in my library, to know, to study. Bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/rachilde-30468_book_it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrug_1007777.png" --- # It is true, Monsieur," Raoule went on, shrugging her… ![“It is true, Monsieur," Raoule went on, shrugging her shoulders, "that I have had lovers in my life as I have books in my library, to know, to study. But I have had no passion, I have not written my own book yet! I always found myself alone when we were two. One is not weak when one remains master…” quote by Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/rachilde-30468_book_it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrug_1007777.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/rachilde-30468_book_it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrug_1007777.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/rachilde-30468_book_it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrug_1007777.png) > “It is true, Monsieur," Raoule went on, shrugging her shoulders, "that I have had lovers in my life as I have books in my library, to know, to study. But I have had no passion, I have not written my own book yet! I always found myself alone when we were two. One is not weak when one remains master of one's self in the midst of the most stupefying pleasures.” [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She values intellectual companionship over romantic love, seeking self‑mastery and passion through creation. **In simple terms:** She prefers books to lovers, seeking self‑mastery. Key Takeaway Cultivate personal mastery before seeking romance. Themes self‑mastery creativity romantic independence Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing - artistic pursuits - relationship choices - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism feminist thought Questions to Reflect On - What does creating your own “book” mean to you? - How can you balance self‑mastery with intimacy? A Different Perspective Passion can be elusive without emotional connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) [Lust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lust/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [The love of study, a passion which derives fresh vigor from enjoyment, supplies each day, each hour, with a perpetual source of independent and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-love-of-study-a-passion-which-derives-fresh-vigor-from-enjoyment/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [“Simply put: I am an Author with deep passion for the written word. When I read: I want to feel... When I write: I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-steele/simply-put-i-am-an-author-with-deep-passion-for-the-written-word-when/) [Suzanne Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-steele/) > [“I'm learning to "master self" while rising from the ashes of madness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tookie-williams/i-m-learning-to-master-self-while-rising-from-the-ashes-of-madness/) Stanley Tookie Williams > [The master of any craft is first a master of self, cooperating with innate intelligence within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/the-master-of-any-craft-is-first-a-master-of-self-cooperating-with/) [Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/) > [“It is the Master of Self who is the masterpiece; the life lived is the canvas that reveals the Master's great works.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-ann-l-tremblay/it-is-the-master-of-self-who-is-the-masterpiece-the-life-lived-is-the/) [Jo-Ann L. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-ann-l-tremblay/) > [Religion is the call to confront reality; to master the self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/religion-is-the-call-to-confront-reality-to-master-the-self/) [Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/) > [The master is within; meditation is meant to remove the ignorant idea that he is only outside. If he is a stranger whom you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-master-is-within-meditation-is-meant-to-remove-the-ignorant-idea/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Funny thing about Bob Dylan, the newest Nobel laureate in literature: He's been a master of self-invention for more than 50 years, creating personae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/funny-thing-about-bob-dylan-the-newest-nobel-laureate-in-literature/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [Remember that pride is the worst viper that is in the heart, the greatest disturber of the soul's peace and sweet communion with Christ;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/remember-that-pride-is-the-worst-viper-that-is-in-the-heart-the/) [Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/) > [I wasn't in love with her. And she didn't love me. For me the question of love was irrelevant. What I sought was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-wasn-t-in-love-with-her-and-she-didn-t-love-me-for-me-the-question/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [A caprice is handled like a stew, and the pepper is added at the last minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/a-caprice-is-handled-like-a-stew-and-the-pepper-is-added-at-the-last/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [There was only the broad square with the scattered dim moons of the street lamps and with the monumental stone arch which receded into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/there-was-only-the-broad-square-with-the-scattered-dim-moons-of-the/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Well, He had known what love was-a sharp pang, a fierce experience, in the midst of whose flames he was struggling! but, through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/well-he-had-known-what-love-was-a-sharp-pang-a-fierce-experience-in/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) ## More by Rachilde > [If I created a new depravity I would be a priestess, while my imitators would founder, after my reign, in abominable filth...Don't you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/if-i-created-a-new-depravity-i-would-be-a-priestess-while-my/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [A caprice is handled like a stew, and the pepper is added at the last minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/a-caprice-is-handled-like-a-stew-and-the-pepper-is-added-at-the-last/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [“I am like a little child naked in a strong wind. I have a fever, I shiver, I'm too hot or too cold. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/i-am-like-a-little-child-naked-in-a-strong-wind-i-have-a-fever-i/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [A very special case. A few years more, and that pretty creature who you love too much, I think, will, without ever loving them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/a-very-special-case-a-few-years-more-and-that-pretty-creature-who-you/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [“Ah! A man who doesn't know how to watch love is so silly. You really need a lesson.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/ah-a-man-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-watch-love-is-so-silly-you-really/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [“Although he had always been a gentleman till then, he had 'caught his century', a disease impossible to analyze but by this simple phrase.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/although-he-had-always-been-a-gentleman-till-then-he-had-caught-his/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [“An error of the passions is not the flowering of a great love, and merely the beauty of the human form is not capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/an-error-of-the-passions-is-not-the-flowering-of-a-great-love-and/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [No, no, don't let my vulnerable heart share in this sacrifice to lust! Let him disgust me before pleasing me! Let him be what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/no-no-don-t-let-my-vulnerable-heart-share-in-this-sacrifice-to-lust/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [“Avarice is a closed door, you don't know what's happening behind it, & before knocking you feel anxious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/avarice-is-a-closed-door-you-don-t-know-what-s-happening-behind-it/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [I want a dress the color of suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/i-want-a-dress-the-color-of-suffering/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [“And yet, because I am without a doubt mortal, I have the troubling desire to do good, to please, to communicate my warmth, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/and-yet-because-i-am-without-a-doubt-mortal-i-have-the-troubling/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [“For the greatest happiness of women is to be right one day, one hour, one second after being wrong all their lives...apparently.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/for-the-greatest-happiness-of-women-is-to-be-right-one-day-one-hour/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [“My love", she whispered, so low she sounded to Jacques as if she were speaking from the bottom of an abyss, "now we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/my-love-she-whispered-so-low-she-sounded-to-jacques-as-if-she-were/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [I have never been loved enough to gain the desire of reproducing a being in the image of my lover and I have never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/i-have-never-been-loved-enough-to-gain-the-desire-of-reproducing-a/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [All monsters have their fits of depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/all-monsters-have-their-fits-of-depression/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) [Explore all 17 Rachilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is true, Monsieur,\" Raoule went on, shrugging her shoulders, \"that I have had lovers in my life as I have books in my library, to know, to study. But I have had no passion, I have not written my own book yet! I always found myself alone when we were two. One is not weak when one remains master of one's self in the midst of the most stupefying pleasures.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rachilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrugging-her-shoulders-that-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrugging-her-shoulders-that-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/rachilde-30468_book_it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrug_1007777.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/rachilde-30468_book_it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrug_1007777.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/rachilde-30468_book_it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrug_1007777.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is true, Monsieur,\" Raoule went on, shrugging her shoulders, \"that I have had lovers in my life as I have…” — Rachilde", "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": "Rachilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is true, Monsieur,\" Raoule went...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrugging-her-shoulders-that-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/it-is-true-monsieur-raoule-went-on-shrugging-her-shoulders-that-i/#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 } } ] } ```