He seriously thought that there is less harm in killing a man than producing a child: in the first case you are relieving someone of life, not his whole life but a half or a quarter or a hundredth part of that existence that is going to finish, that would finish without you; but as for the second, he would say, are you not responsible to him for all the tears he will shed, from the cradle to the grave? Without you he would never have been born, and why is he born? For your amusement, not for his, that’s for sure; to carry your name, the name of a fool, I’ll be bound — you may as well write that name on some wall; why do you need a man to bear the burden of three or four letters? . Gustave Flaubert
Some Similar Quotes
  1. I think that the best thing we can do for our children is to allow them to do things for themselves, allow them to be strong, allow them to experience life on their own terms, allow them to take the subway... let them be better... - C. Joybell C.

  2. The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires. - Dorothy Parker

  3. The worst thing in life is having parents that always stand against you and never with you. They discourage you, instill fear in you, hold you back, push you down and never encourage you to fly forward. When I have kids, they'll already be born... - Suzy Kassem

  4. Although it is very easy to marry a wife, it is very difficult to support her along with the children and the household. Accordingly, no one notices this faith of Jacob. Indeed, many hate fertility in a wife for the sole reason that the offspring... - Martin Luther

  5. The parent is protector and trainer, but never the ultimate teacher. Every parent is responsible for teaching their kid basic moral conduct, manners, the difference between love and hate, and right from wrong. However, after maturity, the child must set off to seek knowledge on... - Suzy Kassem

More Quotes By Gustave Flaubert
  1. It’s hard to communicate anything exactly and that’s why perfect relationships between people are difficult to find.

  2. Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.

  3. Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.

  4. There is not a particle of life which does not bear poetry within it

  5. One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels.

Related Topics