The real ordeal is not leaving those you love but learning to live without those who don't love you. Muriel Barbery More Quotes by Muriel Barbery More Quotes From Muriel Barbery The strong ones among humans do nothing. They talk and talk again. Muriel Barbery strong humans Just as teardrops, when they are large and round and compassionate, can leave a long strand washed clean of discord, the summer rain as it washes away the motionless dust can bring to a person's soul something like endless breathing. Muriel Barbery dust summer rain When illness enters a home, not only does it take hold of a body. It also weaves a dark web between hearts, a web where hope is trapped. Muriel Barbery dark home heart To the rich, therefore, falls the burden of Beauty. And if they cannot assume it, then they deserve to die. Muriel Barbery rich assuming fall Elsewhere the world may be blustering or sleeping, wars are fought, people live and die, some nations disintegrate, while others are born, soon to be swallowed up in turn - and in all this sound and fury, amidst eruptions and undertows, while the world goes its merry way, bursts into flames, tears itself apart and is reborn: human life continues to throb. Muriel Barbery flames sleep war boredom was born on a day of uniformity. Muriel Barbery uniformity boredom born The only purpose of cats is that they constitute mobile decorative objects. Muriel Barbery mobile cat purpose Maybe that's what being alive is about: so we can track down those movments that are dying. Muriel Barbery track alive dying Humans live in a world where the weak are dominant. This is a terrible insult to our animal nature, a sort of perversion or a deep contradiction. Muriel Barbery insult animal world A man who farts in bed . . . is a man who loves life. Muriel Barbery love-life bed men Live or die: mere consequences of what you have built. What matters is building well. Muriel Barbery wells building what-matters What makes the strength of a soldier isn't the energy he uses trying to intimidate the other guy by sending him a whole lot of signals, it's the strength he's able to concentrate within himself, by staying centered. Muriel Barbery guy soldier trying Entrusting one's life is not the same as opening up one's soul. Muriel Barbery opening-up soul life-is Some people are incapable of perceiving in the object of their contemplation the very thing that gives it its intrinsic life and breath, and they spend their entire lives conversing about mankind as if they were robots, and about things as though they have no soul and must be reduced to what can be said about them - all at the whim of their own subjective inspiration. Muriel Barbery inspiration giving people I belong to the 8% of the world population who calm their apprehension by drowning it in numbers. Muriel Barbery population numbers world Levin delights in the forgetfulness that movement brings, where the pleasure of doing is marvellously foreign to the striving of the will. Muriel Barbery delight pleasure movement To be poor, ugly and, moreover, intelligent condemns one in our society to a dark and disillusioned life...to beauty all is forgiven. Muriel Barbery ugly intelligent dark Civilization is the mastery of violence, the triumph, constantly challenged, over the aggressive nature of the primate. For primates we have been and primates we shall remain, however often we learn to find joy in a camellia on moss. This is the very purpose of education. Muriel Barbery triumph joy civilization Tasting is an act of pleasure and writing about that pleasure is an artistic gesture, but the only true work of art, in the end, is another person's feast. Muriel Barbery gestures writing art I'm afraid to go into myself and see what's going on in there. Muriel Barbery