"In diving to the bottom of pleasure we bring up more gravel than pearls"

This quote by Honore de Balzac recommends that when we look for pleasure and delight in it exceedingly, we typically wind up with more negative effects than favorable ones. The act of diving to the bottom of satisfaction can be seen as a metaphor for indulging in our desires and seeking out instant gratification. However, similar to diving to the bottom of the ocean, we might discover that what we remind the surface is not constantly valuable or desirable. Instead, we may wind up with more "gravel" or unwanted consequences, instead of "pearls" or positive results. This quote functions as a cautionary pointer to not let our pursuit of pleasure blind us to the prospective negative repercussions.