I, too, had my nervous period, my sentimental period, and I still bear its mark, like a galley slave, on my neck. With my burnt hand I now have the right to write some sentences on the nature of fire. (5-6 July 1852)
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J'ai eu, aussi, moi, mon époque nerveuse, mon époque sentimentale, et j'en porte encore, comme un galérien, la marque au cou. Avec ma main brûlée j'ai le droit maintenant d'écrire des phrases sur la nature du feu.
— Gustave Flaubert
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "J'ai eu, aussi, moi, mon époque nerveuse, mon époque sentimentale, et j'en porte encore, comme un galérien, la marque au cou. Avec ma main brûlée j'ai le droit maintenant d'écrire des phrases sur la nature du feu." in the context of "I, too, had my nervous period, my sentimental period, and I still bear its mark, like a galley slave, on my neck. With my burnt hand I now have the right to write some sentences on the nature of fire. (5-6 July 1852)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Gustave Flaubert" (Quotes, Correspondence, Letters to Madame Louise Colet)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert (December 12 1821 – May 8 1880) was an influential French writer who was perhaps the leading exponent of literary realism of his country. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary (1857), for his Correspondence, and for his scrupulous devotion to his style and aesthetics.
About Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert (December 12 1821 – May 8 1880) was an influential French writer who was perhaps the leading exponent of literary realism of his country. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary (1857), for his Correspondence, and for his scrupulous devotion to his style and aesthetics.
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