"As if the fullness of the soul did not sometimes overflow in the
emptiest metaphors, since no one
can ever give the exact measure
of his needs, nor of his conceptions,
nor of his sorrows; and since
human speech is like a cracked
tin kettle, on which we hammer
out tunes to make bears dance
when we long to move the stars."
-Madam Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
I have to confess that I have never actually read Madam Bovary. What kind of an English major was I? But, oh, I do love the quote above, and yes, it does make me want to read Flaubert. As well as move the stars!
