Original artwork, not a still
Maximes · 1678
Absence diminishes commonplace passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and kindles fire.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Separation is given opposite effects depending on the attachment involved. The comparison does not make distance uniformly harmful or helpful; it distinguishes feelings that fade from those that intensify. Candlelight and a larger fire provide visible examples of how the same external influence can produce contrary results.
Context reviewed
