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About this quote

What does it mean?
Positive stories and noble characters provide comfort against the harsh realities of the real world.
In plain terms
Good stories help us escape from life's disappointments.
What can you take from it?
Idealized narratives serve as a shield against real-world disillusionment.

Where it applies

  • reading for comfort
  • seeking hope
  • dealing with disappointment

Putting it to work

  • storytelling
  • reading therapy
  • creative writing

Questions to consider

  • Why do we seek comfort in stories?
  • Is escapist fiction healthy?

Another view

Relying too much on fiction can avoid dealing with real problems.

More from Gustave Flaubert

  1. 'What's more delightful than an evening beside the fire with a nice bright lamp and a book, listening to the wind beating against the windows?' 'How true!' she…

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  2. In the tragedy in question, for example, he condemned the ideas but admired the style, abhorred the conception but praised all the details, found the character…

    Permalink to quote #36
  3. My God is the God of Socrates, of Franklin, of Voltaire, of Beranger! My credo is the credo of Rousseau! I adhere to the immortal principles of '89! I have no …

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