--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there be a hell upon earth it is to be…" description: "\"If there be a hell upon earth it is to be found in a melancholy man's heart\" — Robert Burton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/robert-burton-10069_heart_if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-b_3172341.png" --- # If there be a hell upon earth it is to be found in a… ![“If there be a hell upon earth it is to be found in a melancholy man's heart” quote by Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/robert-burton-10069_heart_if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-b_3172341.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/robert-burton-10069_heart_if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-b_3172341.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/robert-burton-10069_heart_if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-b_3172341.png) > “If there be a hell upon earth it is to be found in a melancholy man's heart” [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A deep sorrow within a person can feel like a personal hell on earth. **In simple terms:** Inner sadness feels like hell. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and address inner gloom. Themes melancholy inner conflict mental health Mood somber reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal relationships - creative work - stressful environments Key Concepts psychology existential suffering Questions to Reflect On - How does inner melancholy affect daily life? - What steps can lessen its grip? A Different Perspective Ignoring emotional pain can worsen mental health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Earth Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-melancholy-466436/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Hell Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell-earth/) [Man Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-heart/) [Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melancholy/) [Melancholy Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melancholy-man-529912/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) ## Related quotes > [I have only one thing to say to the melancholy man: 'Look into the distance.' ... When you look at the stars or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-chartier/i-have-only-one-thing-to-say-to-the-melancholy-man-look-into-the/) [Emile Chartier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-chartier/) > [“I am a mixture of contradictory elements. Equal parts earth and fire, melancholy and choler, I fear. But it is more that warmth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-parris/i-am-a-mixture-of-contradictory-elements-equal-parts-earth-and-fire/) [S.J. Parris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-parris/) > [When the moon shall have faded out from the sky, and the sun shall shine at noonday a dull cherry red, and the seas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jacob-holland/when-the-moon-shall-have-faded-out-from-the-sky-and-the-sun-shall/) [William Jacob Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jacob-holland/) > [“I am a lonely man,' Sensei said. 'And so I am glad that you come to see me. But I am also a melancholy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsume-s-seki/i-am-a-lonely-man-sensei-said-and-so-i-am-glad-that-you-come-to-see/) [Natsume Sōseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsume-s-seki/) > [The eyes of the cheerful and of the melancholy man are fixed upon the same creation; but very different are the aspects which it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/the-eyes-of-the-cheerful-and-of-the-melancholy-man-are-fixed-upon-the/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [Abraham Lincoln was a melancholy man, so he had a dark side that appeals to horror fans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-oberst-jr/abraham-lincoln-was-a-melancholy-man-so-he-had-a-dark-side-that/) [Bill Oberst Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-oberst-jr/) > [“There is no greater cause of melancholy than idleness, no greater cure than business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/there-is-no-greater-cause-of-melancholy-than-idleness-no-greater-cure/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [“When I lie waking all alone, Recounting what I have ill done, My thoughts on me then tyrannize, Fear and sorrow me surprise, Whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/when-i-lie-waking-all-alone-recounting-what-i-have-ill-done-my/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [“A great melancholy was hanging in the air, giving their love a more languid, more tender feeling. It was like the love one feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/a-great-melancholy-was-hanging-in-the-air-giving-their-love-a-more/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“I’ve always been a fan of the melancholy, like Morrissey. I grew up playing classical nocturnes like Chopin and Debussy on piano, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-lewis/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-the-melancholy-like-morrissey-i-grew-up/) [Blake Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-lewis/) > [Melancholy has ceased to be an individual phenomenon, an exception. It has become the class privilege of the wage earner, a mass state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/melancholy-has-ceased-to-be-an-individual-phenomenon-an-exception-it/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [“He presses two fingers against each eye and attempts to account for this crippling melancholy, but is having trouble with rational thought. It feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/he-presses-two-fingers-against-each-eye-and-attempts-to-account-for/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [In such a diversity it was impossible I should be disposed to melancholy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boone/in-such-a-diversity-it-was-impossible-i-should-be-disposed-to/) [Daniel Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-boone/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) ## More by Robert Burton > [“...those impious epicures, libertines, atheists, hypocrites, infidels, worldly, secure, impenitent, unthankful, and carnal-minded men, that attribute all to natural causes, that will acknowledge no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/those-impious-epicures-libertines-atheists-hypocrites-infidels/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [The men who succeed are the efficient few. They are the few who have the ambition and will power to develop themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/the-men-who-succeed-are-the-efficient-few-they-are-the-few-who-have/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [We can make mayors and officers every year, but not scholars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/we-can-make-mayors-and-officers-every-year-but-not-scholars/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [“To The Reader Who Employs His Leisure Ill Whoever you may be, I caution you against rashly defaming the author of this work, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/to-the-reader-who-employs-his-leisure-ill-whoever-you-may-be-i/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [“Who hath desires must ever fearful be; Who lives in fear cannot be counted free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/who-hath-desires-must-ever-fearful-be-who-lives-in-fear-cannot-be/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [Health indeed is a precious thing, to recover and preserve which we undergo any misery, drink bitter potions, freely give our goods: restore a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/health-indeed-is-a-precious-thing-to-recover-and-preserve-which-we/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [Marriage and hanging go by destiny; matches are made in heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/marriage-and-hanging-go-by-destiny-matches-are-made-in-heaven/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [“Wine is strong, the king is strong, women are strong, but truth overcometh all things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/wine-is-strong-the-king-is-strong-women-are-strong-but-truth/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [ “\[E\]very man hath liberty to write, but few ability. Heretofore learning was graced by judicious scholars, but now noble sciences are vilified by base… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/e-very-man-hath-liberty-to-write-but-few-ability-heretofore-learning/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [That which is a law today is none tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/that-which-is-a-law-today-is-none-tomorrow/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [Idleness is an appendix to nobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/idleness-is-an-appendix-to-nobility/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [“knaves and fools commonly fare and deserve best in worldlings' eyes and opinions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/knaves-and-fools-commonly-fare-and-deserve-best-in-worldlings-eyes/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [“as{268} Petrarch observes, we change language, habits, laws, customs, manners, but not vices, not diseases, not the symptoms of folly and madness, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/as-268-petrarch-observes-we-change-language-habits-laws-customs/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [England is a paradise for women and hell for horses; Italy is a paradise for horses, hell for women, as the diverb goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/england-is-a-paradise-for-women-and-hell-for-horses-italy-is-a/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) > [One was never married, and that's his hell; another is, and that's his plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/one-was-never-married-and-that-s-his-hell-another-is-and-that-s-his/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) [Explore all 68 Robert Burton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) ## More Heart quotes > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) [Rena Kornreich Gelissen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rena-kornreich-gelissen/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there be a hell upon earth it is to be found in a melancholy man's heart", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Burton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-be-found-in-a-melancholy-man-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-be-found-in-a-melancholy-man-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/robert-burton-10069_heart_if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-b_3172341.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/robert-burton-10069_heart_if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-b_3172341.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/robert-burton-10069_heart_if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-b_3172341.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there be a hell upon earth it is to be found in a melancholy man's heart” — Robert Burton", "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": "Robert Burton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there be a hell upon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-be-found-in-a-melancholy-man-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/if-there-be-a-hell-upon-earth-it-is-to-be-found-in-a-melancholy-man-s/#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 } } ] } ```