"Love built on beauty, soon as beauty, dies"
- John Donne
About this Quote
John Donne's quote, "Love developed on appeal, soon as beauty, dies", succinctly captures the transient nature of shallow affection anchored entirely in physical appearance. Through this line, Donne recommends that love established exclusively on external charm does not have the long-lasting quality necessary to stand up to the inevitable passage of time.
The very first part of the quote, "Love constructed on appeal", suggests a love that is based on external, shallow characteristics. Appeal, while fascinating and captivating, is inherently ephemeral. It goes through the ravages of time, fading eventually like flowers at the end of a season. Therefore, if love is initiated and sustained solely on such a transient foundation, it is naturally unstable and susceptible. Donne is highlighting the idea that relationships need deeper components to really endure; otherwise, they are doomed to perish along with the beauty they are built upon.
Even more, the phrase "soon as appeal, passes away" reinforces the swift and inescapable decline of charm. Donne uses the comparison of love to beauty to suggest that love, if reliant just on the physical, is similarly short lived. As appeal diminishes, it takes with it the love that was never ever grounded in more significant characteristics such as character, mutual understanding, and emotional connection.
Through this quote, Donne might also be warning against the shallow valuation of partners, promoting for a deeper perception that appreciates the intrinsic qualities of people. By doing so, love can go beyond the temporal restrictions of physical charm and end up being a long-lasting connection grounded in compound and respect.
Moreover, Donne's words resonate with the timeless style of tough social norms that prioritize physical appearance over more lasting attributes. His insight welcomes readers to reflect on their own relationships and consider what they value in their connections with others. In emphasizing the short lived nature of beauty, Donne underscores the importance of developing love that is resistant and long-lasting, rooted in much deeper, more significant characteristics that withstand the tests of time.
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