“ A man of honour will owe nothing to the power which parents have over us; he feels a repugnance to exact a self-sacrifice from her he loves, and will not obtain a heart by force. ”
Molière, The Learned Ladies (1672). copy citation
| Author | Molière |
|---|---|
| Source | The Learned Ladies |
| Topic | sacrifice love |
| Date | 1672 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Charles Heron Wall |
| Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Learned_Women |
Context
“If choice and wisdom guided love, all the tenderness of my heart would be for you; but love is not thus guided. Leave me, I pray, to my blindness; and do not profit by the violence which, for your sake, is imposed on my obedience. A man of honour will owe nothing to the power which parents have over us; he feels a repugnance to exact a self-sacrifice from her he loves, and will not obtain a heart by force. Do not encourage my mother to exercise, for your sake, the absolute power she has over me. Give up your love for me, and carry to another the homage of a heart so precious as yours.
TRI. For this heart to satisfy you, you must impose upon it laws it can obey.”
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