Quotes About Romanticism

Beauty, Passion, and Love are difficult to define, or experience, otherwise there would be more romantics. Occasionally, we here at the Romanticism pages stumble upon a saying, an utterance, a quote that illustrates one of the principles of the page. It gets copied here. These are not quotes related to literary romanticism, but we hope you like the quotes about practical romanticism. If you have more, feel free to send them to adam@twelvefruits.com.

Of the three transcendentals inherent in Being - Truth, Goodness, and Beauty -- the Beautiful is primary in that it is the one we encounter first. It overwhelms us, enchants us, fascinates us, calls us. As we ponder it, we see that it is good and we are attracted to the Goodness it represents. Finally, bemused by the appeal of goodness, we discover that it contains truth and we listen to the Truth we hear from it.
--Andrew Greeley, The Apologetics of Beauty

The link between the good and the beautiful stirs fruitful reflection. It a certain sense, beauty is the visible form of the good, just as the good is the metaphysical condition of beauty.
--John Paul II, 1999 Easter Address to artists

"Beauty will save the world," says Prince Myshkin.
Ippolit Terentiev asks Myshkin: "Is it true, prince, that you once said that beauty will save the world?" and then mockingly adds: "What kind of beauty will save the world?" "The world will become the beauty of Christ," Dostoevsky answers in one of his notes to another novel, The Devils.
--The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Shopping is about beauty - does this skirt work? What about the shoes with this blouse? Or the hat? Beauty is a positive thing. Consumerism is about possessiveness - what can I have? It's in my closet. The potential chance for improving the world by looking nice is gone. And being nice is positive. That's sad.
--Adam Molnar, personal email

There was something very beautiful about crying over people that you fell in love with and that loved you, there really was.
--Donald Trump (who knew?)

Because Adam's going to take me out tomorrow night, and yeah, you have this whole fantasy about how it's going to be all romantic, where you look at each other and you both know that this night was meant to be and you say all the right things, and he looks at you like you're the only person in the whole world, and all the other couples are totally jealous because they're just pure leftovers next to you, and when he takes you home he gives you that kiss ... that kiss that never leaves you ... was it like that?
--Joan of Arcadia, "Friday Night", 12 November 2004

"I wrote it to you in a note in eighth grade," he said on stage, "now I can say it in front of a billion people: I love you."
--Andrew Stanton, director, Finding Nemo, accepting 2004 Oscar

There have been five great kisses since 1642 BC, when Saul and Delilah Korn's inadvertant discovery swept across Western civilization. (Before then couples hooked thumbs.) And the precise rating of kisses is a terribly difficult thing, often leading to great controversy, because although almost everyone agrees with the formula of affection times purity times intensity times duration, no one has ever been completely satisfied with how much weight each element should receive. But on any system, there are five that everyone agrees deserve full marks. Well, this one left them all behind.
--The Princess Bride, William Golding

Tracy: Why? Was I so unattractive, so distant, so forbidding, or something?
Mac: This is fine talk too.
Tracy: I'm asking a question.
Mac: You were extremely attractive, and as for distant and forbidding, on the contrary, but you also were a little the worse or better for wine, and there are rules about that.
--The Philadelphia Story

How about marrying me?
Oh, I know it's kind of short notice. Back east, we would met up a Sunday in the church. Six months later, i would have asked you, could I walk you home. Two three years, i would have set in your front parlor every Wednesday night and finally I would have asked your father could I marry you. But here there's not time, I gotta be home tonight to tend to my stock. It'll be another five months before I get down again with my grain. You gonna keep me waiting all that five months just for your pride?
I'd have to finish my chores.
--Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Well, pa used to say love is kinda like the measles. You only get it once, and the older you are, the tougher it goes.
--Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Baron: Onegame, that's what it comes to. One never grows tired of love.
Death: This last great game of yours, this of which you never tire, seems to me to be the strangest, the saddest, the emptiest of all.
--Death Takes a Holiday

Is there any more efficient weapon than love, alone?
--Bishop Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm