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Absence extinguishes the minor passions and increases the great ones, as the wind blows out a candle and fans a fire.

— François de La Rochefoucauld Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665)

L'absence diminue les médiocres passions, et augmente les grandes, comme le vent éteint les bougies et allume le feu.

Original text (French)

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Variants

Absence weakens the minor passions and adds to the effects of great ones, as the wind blows out a candle and fans a fire.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: François de La Rochefoucauld (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.