Be regular and orderly in your life like a bourgeois, so that you may be violent and original in your work.
• To Gertrude Tennant (December 25, 1876) (Correspondence v4, pg280)
• To Gertrude Tennant (December 25, 1876) (Correspondence v4, pg280)
“
Soyez réglé dans votre vie et ordinaire comme un bourgeois, afin d'être violent et original dans vos œuvres.
— Gustave Flaubert
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Soyez réglé dans votre vie et ordinaire comme un bourgeois, afin d'être violent et original dans vos œuvres." in the context of "Be regular and orderly in your life like a bourgeois, so that you may be violent and original in your work.
• To Gertrude Tennant (December 25, 1876) (Correspondence v4, pg280)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Gustave Flaubert" (Quotes, Correspondence)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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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